


A Second Chance At Hope

by ColeTReed



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M, Gen, Rooster Teeth - Freeform, street rat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-08 09:07:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1935048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColeTReed/pseuds/ColeTReed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once hope is dashed, it is a hard trait to recover.  Though with second chances anything is possible.  Oh, and a big ol’ teddy bear named Burnie Burns helps too.  Based on Street Rat Gavin, by Yetiokay on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not Even Your Fleas Will Mourn You?

A black beanie from a dumpster that smelled of mold and ass that covered a head of messy golden-blonde hair that stuck up without any means of control.

A green zippered hoodie from the Salvation Army. Even as an extra small, it draped over the twenty-something’s thin body like an robe.

A pair of jeans he’d owned since he was sixteen, and hadn’t been washed properly since he was seventeen. They hung low on his thin hips and non-existent buttock.

Boxer briefs and a toothbrush, gifts from the local church’s rummage “sale”, costing him exactly a dollar. The only two “clean” parts of his body that weren’t caked in filth.

Black Converse shoes from a Payless Shoes he’d been lucky enough to grab from a recycling bin. Only one hole in them!

A t-shirt he’d nabbed from a Convention when nobody was looking. Something about slow-motion was written on it. Not that it mattered, but it seemed like something he might wear if he weren’t stuck in the gutters.

Besides a hunting knife he’d taken off the body of a mugged hobo, these were the worldly possessions that Gavin Free owned. Each of them were treasured, well cared for, and virtually irreplaceable.

Hunkered down in a side street in Austin, Texas, rain pelted over him. Like most summer days in Texas, when the humidity got too much for even the sky, the sky opened up and allowed a downpour to overtake the world below.

Though he was lucky for once. With Stabbin’ Eddy back in prison, he and the rest of the homeless population could safely sleep under the canopy of the best spot in town. While it rained, the police (and the store owners surrounding the area) didn’t bother them.

They had… “Terms”.

New homeless got schooled quickly that their street was “off limits” from any petty theft or burglary. When people walked at night, they had at least 25 people that had nothing to lose protecting them. If there were menial tasks that warranted less than minimum wage, there was a plethora of tax-free workers a whistle away. Cleanup was easy, considering none of them had anything of value to work with.

In exchange? The homeless had their “spot”. A little alleyway off the street that nobody in their right mind would ever need to go by. Thanks to zoning issues, it was covered with a small tarp, making it rain and sun-proof. A sanctuary for Gavin’s kind.

With his hood up, Gavin was attempting to sleep. While the the rest of his “friends” were out scavenging the shelters for a place to sleep (a pointless endeavor that Gavin didn’t want to bother with, knowing well enough that they would all be full), he took the rare moment of peace to sleep without wondering if his knife or toothbrush would get stolen.

Though just as his eyes began to flicker into slumber at last, he heard a loud whistle.

“YO, YOU. KID. WANNA QUICK JOB? FIFTY BUCKS IN IT FOR YOU!” a loud man barked.

Gavin was up as though he’d been struck by the lighting overhead. Normal “jobs” for his people in the neighborhood were ten dollar deals at most. Some were lucky to get a buck. Others got moldy bread.

“Yes sir! Anything!” Gavin responded eagerly. Running to the end of the street, he realized it was the Pizza shop owner. He was carrying a huge plastic bag the delivery guys used to keep the pizzas warm. There had to be at least a dozen super-sized pizzas inside of the giant.

The man threw it into Gavin’s arms. Even weighing less than 10 pounds, the box nearly flung him over to his side. Not haven eaten in a couple of days had left him in a pretty sorry state.

His “boss” for the moment was red in the face and clearly upset.

“My delivery boy quit on me! That dumb bachagaloop went off and got himself a job at Mama Sophia’s! TRAITOR! Now I got nobody!” he yelled.

His “troubles” touched Gavin’s heart. He felt like “crying”.

Rolling his eyes, the “boss” pointed down the main street. “Take those to the big warehouse down the street. These are our BEST customers and we’ve got a fucking FORTUNE made with them over the years. Get it over there in ten minutes and get our pay in FULL. The total is a hundred fifty bucks for this shit, and if even a DIME is missing, you’re getting shit!” he shouted.

Gavin nodded. There wasn’t much to argue. Getting a third of the profits seemed reasonable to him. Though why he was getting so much was beyond him.

“The place is called Rooster Teeth. Got a big old bird with teeth logo. Can’t miss it!” he exclaimed, pushing Gavin out of the alley and into the rain. Within a second, he was soaked to the bone.

“Got it,” Gavin mumbled under his breath. Running off at top speed, he was gone in an instant.

++++++

The huge warehouse was more like a movie lot than anything else. After being stared at inappropriately from a blonde receptionist, he was pointed to the far most lot. Still being rained on heavily, he was pretty sure that his clothes weighed as much as he did with all the water they were retaining.

“Gonna get a bloody cold… Fuck… I hate the ER…” Gavin mumbled under his breath.

Finally reaching studio 3, he knocked on the large red door. While he wondered if getting a needle in his ass was worth a warm bed for a night, he barely noticed when the door opened. Standing in front of him was a kid about his age. With red curls, thin-framed glasses, and enough freckles to resurrect orphan Annie from the grave, he seemed like a nerdy geek at first glance. Though his muscles and well-built physique said otherwise.

“I uh… I got the stuff,” Gavin said, signaling to the pizzas.

The man seemed to curl his nose.

“Holy mother of fuck, did you ROLL in garbage this morning, or is your aftershave that fucking terrible?!” the red-haired Satan exclaimed. He fanned the air around his nose vividly.

Gavin’s eyes narrowed.

“GUYS, IT’S THE PIZZAS AND PEPE’ LE PIEW IS DELIVERING!” Satan said, as he finally managed to let Gavin inside the building.

He nearly dropped dead at the sight around him. Plush green and black carpeting, indoor air conditioning running at Mach 10, and enough electronics to give Bill Gates a raging erection that required medical attention after 7 hours.

While he took in the sights, red-haired Satan took the boxes of pizza out of his hand, running off with it. A shockingly white Hispanic child wasn’t far behind him.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, GROW UP MICHAEL!” an older man announced as Satan and Taco Whitey began slapping each other over getting the first slice.

Gavin zeroed in on the older man. Somewhere in his later thirties or early forties, he had a well defined muscle tone and a solid figure. Curly hair, like Satan Michael, and a hairy beard gave him a wiser appearance. His smile was beaming.

“Holy shit, thanks for coming all the way here man. I’m Burnie, acting arts director of the company and I… I…” Burnie began to say, as his face turned a pale shade of green. He seemed to hold his breath, and feign the same smile.

Gavin sighed. There was no holding back the fact that he hadn’t even had a “lake bath” in several weeks. Too much time, and getting caught meant jail. Jail sucked. “Yeah sorry, I’m homeless I don’t exactly have a shower. Just give me the money for my boss and I’ll be gone. Didn’t mean to minge up your place,” he replied rudely. He took several steps backwards.

Taco White and Satan stopped fighting in the background. Satan dropped his pizza, and turned back to face Gavin with a new found expression. Taco White’s stuffed face seemed to let chunks of crust fall out of his mouth.

“Oh… Oh, I’m… I’m sorry,” Burnie mumbled. His face turned a mild shade of red as he counted out several twenty dollar bills. Paying Gavin exactly what his “boss” had expected him to receive, he nodded.

“Thanks,” Gavin said.

“Whoa… Wait a sec!” Michael exclaimed. He raced back to the door with his Hispanic friend and stood next to Burnie. “How… How long you been on the streets brother?” he asked. The menacing rage in his voice seemed to tone down a bit.

Gavin sighed. “Since I was twelve. Folks kicked me out. My mum’s boyfriend didn’t like me. Grandma was in a home before she died. So… I just slept in a park and learned the ropes,” he said.

A spark lit up in Gavin’s head.

“Oh bloody hell…” he mumbled, turning away from them. “Don’t feel bad for me, I’m not DYING or anything. I got a good thing. Didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I just say dumb shit a lot,” he mumbled.

The group of men seemed to start at him in awe.

“I’ve uh… I’ve got to go…” Gavin said, turning away from them. He made it to the door’s handle when he felt a strong arm stop him dead in his tracks. “Whoa… Hold on a sec,” the man called “Burnie” mumbled. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out a few extra dollars. A twenty and a ten, pushing it in Gavin’s hoodie pocket. “For uh… For coming out in the rain… Thanks man,” he offered.

Michael seemed torn. He and his friend backed away and began whispering frantically behind Burnie.

Somehow… Gavin managed to smile a little. “Thanks…” he said. As if on instinct, he held out his hand to Burnie.

They shook, a firm and powerful exchange.

As he turned away, he was stopped again. Burnie chuckled. “You uh… You can stay until it stops raining if you want,” he said, turning around to face Michael and Ray who seemed to be nodding.

Gavin laughed. “Nah… Gotta get this money back to my boss. Don’t wanna stink up your place either!” he said. Before they had a chance to object, Gavin belted out the door and was gone in the blink of an eye.

+++++++

Eighty dollars, to most, is a couple of lousy video games.

Eighty dollars, to others, is a fancy dinner and a movie for your girl.

To Gavin, it was a literal fortune for him and his friends.

As soon as his friends came back after the rain had FINALY stopped, they’d all managed to buy a full loaf of bread and a block of cheese. Enough food to keep their stomachs full for a week. Grateful to finally be able to help them as they had helped them, Gavin didn’t care that he had used up all of that “Burnie” guy’s tip in the process. He still had fifty bucks, and their alley managed to smile for a couple of days.

Laying his head on a comfy garbage bag of shredded paper, he imagined what awesome stuff he might be able to FINALLY afford. A winter coat? A pair of shorts? One of those water purifying bottles that he could fill up in the park WHENEVER he wanted? Maybe some soap and shampoo, and enough leftover to get a real shower at one of the roadside truck stops.

Though realizing the latter was just a waste of money on some meaningless comfort, he just shook it all off.

While in his land of merriment, he barely noticed as someone came up beside him.

“Holy fucking shit this place sucks, and I thought my shit sucked,” Michael said.

His daydream was broken. Looking up, the red-haired Satan from the week earlier had somehow managed to find him.

“MICHAEL!” Burnie shouted.

Gavin shot up. Nervously, he palmed the switchblade in his pocket.

“W… What do you want!?” Gavin yelled.

A few of his buddies began surrounding Michael and Burnie. None of them looked dangerous, but their piercing eyes were a threat enough.

Burnie slapped the back of Michael’s head and pushed in front of him. “Hey, kid… I uh… Well… I’m glad I found you! We’ve been asking around for about a week now… We uh… We didn’t expect you to dart off like that” he said, fumbling over his words.

Gavin tilted his head. “Why?” he asked bluntly.

“Uh, Burnie?” Michael whispered, signaling to the horde of hobos ready to kill at the slightest ounce of Gavin’s skin being touched.

Michael seemed to be palming inside his jeans, much like Gavin was doing.

Sighing, Gavin waved his hands. “Guys, lay off, they’re fine. They’re not cops,” he mumbled.

With great reluctance, the horde did back off. Many went back to their resting spots, but none of them let their eyes trail away from the strangers in their domain.

Turning back to Burnie and Michael he eyed them cautiously. “Let me guess… You want to show me to a homeless shelter, am I right?” Gavin asked, clearly exhasperated.

Michael and Burnie exchanged an odd look.

Gavin turned away from them, tracing a brick with one of his fingertips. “Yeah… That’s what you nice blokes usually do… You think we can just magically get up off our feet with a few kind words and some “can do” attitude. Well it’s bollocks,” he stated.

Remaining silent, the two let him vent.

“Yeah, tried that… Tried that twice actually, because I’m a bloody gob,” Gavin mumbled. “There’s… There’s nothing I can do now. No school, no degree, no work. No work, no money. No money, no home. No home, no life… So, I do what I can,” he said, motioning around him. He tried to smile. “It’s not that bloody bad! AT least they don’t kick us out! WE get some odd jobs, and we don’t starve!” he exclaimed happily.

As he spoke, one of the older hobos began hacking repetitively. Though none of them could see it, blood spattered against the floor.

“We’re… We’re lucky!” Gavin said, in a vain attempt to convince both the two across from them and the man inside him.

As Gavin finally stopped raving, Burnie cleared his throat. “Uh… Well, that’s not what I was going to say, actually… Actually, I uh… I wanted to give you a job, and a a place to stay in our warehouse. It’s not big, but at least it’s warm and it’s got a small cot. You could start today if you wanted to! We need someone to clean up and do maintenance,” he offered politely.

A moment of weakness later, and Gavin’s heart skipped a beat. For a brief moment, he almost allowed himself to believe it.

Instead, he grabbed his knife and held it tightly in his coat pocket.

“Bullshit! Why would you do that?” Gavin asked, backing away from them.

Burnie just smiled. “Maybe because I believe in second chances. Maybe because I see a kid who might have been my son. Or maybe it’s because I don’t feel comfortable letting someone in the prime of their life suffer,” he said.

His hand was still outstretched.

Gavin backed away. He’d heard of people like Burnie. His buddy Tom had found a “second chance” too. All he ended up getting was raped and left to die in the trunk of an abandoned car.

Moving forward, Michael interrupted Burnie’s touching moment. His eyes were bore into Gavin’s eyes.

“Okay Mr. Fucking Ass-wipe, let’s think about it this way then. You really want to go through another winter in this hell-hole? I’ll bet five bucks that coat doesn’t do jack shit,” Michael barked.

The ripped fabric to his side got clutched in his hand.

“How long you think you’ll make it, huh? You see these assholes, you ever see one make it long without fucking up and getting into drugs or some shit? You think it’s going to be hunky-fucking-dory like this forever? Not a chance in fucking hell, get a goddamn clue!” Michael shouted.

The pit in Gavin’s stomach recoiled.

Michael pushed Gavin into the wall. He leaned into the lad’s ear. “I was just fucking like you when this bearded fucktard grabbed me up. He gave me a goddamn home, a fucking CHANCE at something, and I’m not a worthless shitstain in a motherfucking alley anymore. You’re getting what anybody in our situation would want, and you’re spitting in his fucking face. They’re no fucking shit to this. You come home with us, you work in our fuckin company, and you get a warm bed and some food. No sex shit, no selling drugs, and no selling your body. You do a good job, you get good money. You get good money, you might be able to actually DO something to make yourself happy. I swear to god if you don’t come back with us, I will kick your ever-loving ass!” he whispered threateningly.

A drop of Michael’s sweat, or at least what he thought was sweat, splashed onto Gavin’s cheek. Gavin dropped to the ground, landing on his tiny butt.

“Michael…” Burnie mumbled.

Backing off, Michael pushed past Burnie once more and didn’t bother to wait on them.

Left to themselves, Burnie moved to Gavin. He held his hand out.

“Please… Just… Just let me help you. I… I just want to do what I think is right. And… As crazy as this sound, I get the feeling like… Like… You belong,” Burnie said warmly.

Gavin didn’t look back to Burnie.

“I don’t know how to do anything. I… I don’t know math, I don’t know how to read, and I don’t even know how to bloody set a VCR,” Gavin mumbled.

“We don’t even use VCRs anymore, so no worries!” Burnie shot back. His laughter was warm.

Again, his heart skipped.

A tiny little bit inside of him felt lighter. Right inside his chest, just above and in the middle of his breast.

Gavin took Burnie’s hand again. He let the man lift him up off the ground effortlessly. Once on his feet, he shook the man’s hand tightly.

“I’ll…. I’ll do my best,” Gavin mumbled.

Burnie looked away, wiping away at his face. “Great! So uh… First thing’s first, we’re going to buy enough deodorant, soap and shampoo to bathe an elephant!” he yelled.

As the two of them walked out of the alley, Gavin fumbled in his pockets while Burnie went on ahead.

Bending down to the level of one of his older buddies, the older one who had coughed blood, and he handed his friend the switchblade and the cash he had on hand. Except for the clothes on his back, and the toothbrush in his back pocket, it was all he had in the world.

“I’ll be back… Just… Just hang in there, okay?” Gavin whispered.

“GAVIN?” Michael shouted.

Not wanting to anger Satan, Gavin jogged out of the alley and didn’t bother to look back.

And this… Is how a skinny street rat would begin his many adventures in an internet company in the middle of Texas.   


	2. A Sense of Security

The streets had a specific atmosphere to them, or at least as Gavin had come to understand them. An odd mixture of all five senses that did their best to always stick someone at an odd state of ill ease.

Smells like tar, vomit, or human waste that tickled the end of an all too sensitive nasal cavity.

The discomforting touch of solid ground, sweat from hot summers, and the constant threat of frostbite in winter.

Gavin particularly hated the sounds, the desperate moans of an ailing friend, or the whispers of the upper class silently dismissing or pitying them.

He didn’t like taste much either, considering the lack of real “taste” he’d been exposed to. If he were lucky, the garbage by the restaurant exits wasn’t too old, and didn’t share a container with diapers. His favorite was the fruit, a rare treat of sweetness and luxury, even when moldy.

Though by far, the worst was sight. Seeing the underbelly of a world that half the world didn’t know existed. The hunger, the fatigue, the hopelessness, and sorrows that left so many unable to wake up in the mornings.

…

Though…

Mr. Burns’ house, particularly the guest room he’d been permitted to use, didn’t have any of those.

The smell of freshly vacuumed carpeting and cleanly washed clothes. Like lavender or the smell of rain falling in the spring, it was a pleasant and charming fragrance that didn’t make him want to gag.

Inside the bathroom connected to said room, Gavin was allowing the warm water to continue to beat down on his body and the warmth flew through his veins like an elixir of life bringing him back from the brink of death. After washing his hair five or six times, the original luster of his pale blonde hair had returned. The caked on mud and sweat had washed off, giving the shower floor a mild brown coloring from the filth. A fresh razor had taken care of his mild fuzz around his face, and a pair of scissors had allowed him to tame his growing hair into a much shorter length (a much more accurate means than his switchblade he’d used about a year earlier). Against his cold body, the steam was a welcome sensation, almost like a tender touch of a lover.

Just as the last drop of warm water escaped the shower-head, he slammed off the water and exited the warm tiled floor.

With his three hour shower finished and after wrapping up in a fluffy brown towel he was sure was made from Chinchillas, Gavin gently reached down and picked up the clothes that had been left out from him on his bed. As water dripped down on his face from his straggly bangs, he brought up the t-shirt up to his nose an inhaled.

No mold. No sweat. Most importantly, no cat piss smell. The shirt, of a black variety with a red hooded girl on the front, was possibly the softest material he’d ever touched in his life. He threw it on immediately, engulfed by it. Apparently “small” was still too big for him to fit into.

Turning back to the bed, he saw a luxury good he never though he’d have the ability to wear out in the open. Cargo shorts, the kind that came up just above the knees and with a durable fabric that could make denim go fuck itself. While he wouldn’t need those for nighttime sleep, it was the kind of thing that made him want to grab them and run for the hills. Alongside the pair of clean underwear fresh out of a plastic container, he hopped into a pair of pajama bottoms eagerly. He tried to ignore the cutesy bumblebees hovering over a girl with cat ears that was dotted over the entire fabric.

Finally dressed, he glanced around them room as he toweled off his still wet head. “His” room, as Burnie had said, making sure to emphasis the ownership belonged to Gavin. An odd feeling, considering he’d never possessed anything in his life of any value.

A fluffy bed covered in a bland navy comforter, and three of the most inviting pillows he’d seen in his life. An odd piece of furniture, (a “dresser”, as Burnie had put it) was his to use as he acquired clothes or other belongings. The older man had already seen to it that one drawer was stocked with his company’s shirts, and one of Michael’s friends had donated several pairs of shorts and jeans that no longer fit him. Some ornamental wood decoration that looked like a chainsaw gun hung immediately overhead, clearly a labor of some artists love.

As he opened the drawer beneath his clothes, curious of what filled its contents, Gavin’s breath hitched.

_Socks_

The number one thing nobody ever donated or threw away in the streets. A good he hadn’t owned since he’d been kicked out of his home, and what he probably would have killed for.

_Socks_

Grabbing the biggest pair he could find, he covered his feet in a nanosecond. The soft fabric was like a tender kiss to his feet. Even though they weren’t the basic white kind he’d dreamed about, he assumed that polka dotted shark socks were the “in” thing.

With a dreamily content face, Gavin allowed himself to fall backwards on the bed with a gentle “thump”. Much like the socks, the shirt, and the fluffy pajama bottoms, the bed hugged his body with its curvy lumps. Had the lights been turned off, the man would have likely fallen asleep instantly.

Instead, however, he heard a soft knock at the door.

“Gavin? It’s Burnie, is it okay if I come in?” he asked politely.

Reluctantly lifting himself up to the floor, Gavin made his way to the door. Even though it had a locking feature, he hadn’t bothered to use it. Personal space was not a concept that made any sense to him.

He turned the door knob, revealing his new “boss” in a similarly bed-like state. In one hand was a steaming plate of some baked goods, and under the other arm was a large blanket of some sort.

Neither, however, were as noticeable as Burnie’s face. The man’s jaw had dropped, and Gavin could almost see down his throat.

“Holy… Is that the same kid I brought home?! I’m pretty sure you MUST have dyed your hair when I wasn’t looking. Nice haircut by the way,” he exclaimed, glancing over the kid’s body.

Gavin chuckled. “Nah, just hadn’t washed it in a long time. Thanks for the scissors,” he replied quietly.

Making his way in the room, Burnie put the steaming plate on the bedside table before turning back around to face Gavin. “My mom’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies. They’re about the best thing in the world, thought you might like some for your bony butt. Seriously, I’m resisting the urge to force-feed you butter and larg,” he said jokingly, punctuating with his dazzling smile.

Gavin resisted the urge to run and inhale he food. After the dinner Burnie had given him of the best baked smashed potatoes in the world, he had no intention of letting it find its way to the bottom of a toilet bowl from overeating. Instead, he’d let his stomach settle and then inhale the crispy goodness.

“And this is for you! Keep it, I haven’t used it in years,” he said, signaling to the blanket under his arm.

Burnie threw the article at Gavin, nearly dropping the lad to the floor unintentionally.

"That ought to keep you warm wherever you are! Sorry, I like my house cold and I freeze people the fuck out at night," he explained apologetically.

Gavin wrapped the item, a patchwork quilt of half a dozen vivid colors, around his body like a hood. Bundling up, he felt warmth spread through his body immediately.

"Thank you," Gavin muttered quietly. He’d dreamed of the day he managed to snag a blanket like this, and not the thin useless crap he usually found at rummages. Not sure of what else to do, he sat down on the edge of the bed and let the fabric engulf him.

Slowly, Burnie edged his way closer to the man. Much less gracefully, Burnie plopped himself right next to Gavin. “So uh.. Since it’s Friday, we don’t have work again until Monday. We’ll get you situated at work then and make the introductions to the family. Lot of manual labor like schlepping crap, cleaning, and making deliveries is what you’ll be doing, but it’s honest work and I’ll pay you like I pay my interns. Paychecks come out every Friday. Until you get some savings, I’ll pay for your food, so don’t even think about spending money on shit like that,” he explained warmly. Nervously, the man rubbed the back of his neck. “In the meantime, you’re free to stay here as long as you want. I’ve had a guest like you for three years, and one that lasted just a couple of months. However long you want, that’s how long you stay. My house is your home for now, and don’t worry about anything. There’s food in the fridge and freezer, help yourself all you want! TV and consoles are in the living room, feel free to play and watch, just keep it down if it’s late. I’ll try to get you anything you need, just let me know,” he offered.

Gavin shook his head immediately. “No, I’m good… T… Thank you for everything already…” he said back.

“Not a problem, not a problem at all!” Burnie exclaimed, patting Gavin on the leg. “Well, I know you’re probably eager to sleep, so I won’t bug you anymore. Like I said, anything in the house is fair game. If you need me, I’m on the other side of the place, just wake me up,” Burnie offered.

Without much else to say, Burnie exited the room, softly shutting the door and turning off the light behind him. In the corner, an old night-light came on instantly, filling a corner of the room with light.

Gavin wrapped himself up tighter in the quilt, falling backwards on the bed once more. He scooted to the far head of the bed, laying his head on the pillows.

There was no arguing with his brain.

As much as he wanted to explore the house, grab some cookies, and maybe even watch a little television, the feather-soft pillows and 10 years of uncomfortable nights combined to overpower his thinking and put him to sleep in less than a minute.

 

+++++

Having never dreamed before, it was an odd experience. For whatever reason, visions of him and Burnie sitting in the living room together ran through his mind. An odd thing to dream of, considering the length of time he’d known the man, but was what his mind had conjured up.

Though it wasn’t all together unpleasant. They just sat together in silence, watching television and talking like they had the night before. A few people, like Michael, would come and go. Everything was silent, peaceful, and all together a warm experience. He couldn’t hear the others, but he could hear himself laughing loudly.

“ _Thanks Dad”_

Hearing himself say those words, Gavin forced himself awake. His eyes jolted open like a gunshot, and he eyed his surroundings instantly.

There wasn’t anyone searching him, no cops poking him, and he didn’t feel some garbage jabbing him in the stomach. Instead, he was wrapped up like a cocoon. Besides his quilt he’d fallen asleep in, he’d somehow managed to get covered in his comforter and bedsheets as well.

His street clothes were folded neatly at his bedside table, no longer smelling of some pig’s backside. A package of unopened pop-tarts and a bottle of orange juice laid next to them.

“ _Eat up!” was scrawled on a card next to them._

3:00 PM was what the digital clock next to the card read. He’d slept for over twelve hours, the longest period of sleep he’d ever known.

“FINALLY. We thought you’d never fucking wake up and someone was going to have to kiss you,” Michael said loudly.

Gavin rubbed his eyes, trying to ascertain where the noise had come from.

“Oh come off it, your first night here, you slept for three days straight! Burnie told me he was SURE you were in a goddamn coma!” an unfamiliar voice rang out.

Finally able to see properly, he could make out that Satan and Taco White were sitting in chairs next to him. Both seemed to be in the middle of some sort of game of cards.

"Holy fuck, how late is your lazy ass going to sleep? My buddy Ray here doesn’t even sleep THAT late," Michael shouted.

Shifting under the covers, Gavin sat upright against the headboard. “What…” he mumbled.

“Ray” chuckled, standing up and stretching into the air. “Sorry we barged in, but Burnie had to go run some errands for his sons. He asked if we’d come hang out with you today and keep you company. By the way, did you know that your nose actually keeps your body from falling out of bed like a really fucked up kick-stand?” he said, pointing to Gavin’s face.

Gavin finally managed to pull himself out of bed. He threw his feet over the edge, and yawned loudly. As he did, he felt a heft of clothes smack him in the middle of the face, throwing him backwards.

“Get fucking showered and dressed Pepe’, we’re starving and we’re going out to eat! I’m not waiting on your bony ass, so move it!” Michael ordered as he made his way out of Gavin’s room.

Ray wasn’t far behind him. “He’s really a sensitive soul when you get to know him! At least, that’s what Lindsay says…” he chuckled, making his way out.

Looking down to the clothes, he realized that they were something different than what he’d seen the night before.

Some kind of purple striped polo shirt that looked like it was straight off a shelf, and a pair of brand new blue jeans. In the middle of the, he spotted a pair of barely used sneakers, and a pair of odd blue and red spotted socks.

He hugged the soft fabric in his arms. Their touch was like a rabbit’s fur.

+++++

Still picking at his purple polo shirt, Gavin kept feeling the fabric.

“How… How’s it so soft?” Gavin asked.

Michael sighed. “Fabric softener. My wife uses a shitload of it. It’s awesome,” he explained.

Dreamily, Gavin rubbed the shirt more. “I like that….” he said happily.

Having walked several blocks in the busy city, traffic and people walked past the three of them like they were nothing. As they did, Gavin stopped touching his shirt. People weren’t staring at him as though he were some shitstain anymore. A few people smiled back at him with a friendly nod, and he swore one girl grabbed his butt while they turned a corner. Her circle of friends giggled happily after that.

“Weird, isn’t it?” Ray asked.

Before he had a chance to really ask the man what he said, he felt Michael pull him by the arm and into a small diner. Packed to the gills, the smell of cooking hamburgers and fries nearly made him float on a cloud. The last time he’d been able to eat in a restaurant was when he was fourteen and found a twenty dollar bill on the street. He quickly realized that cooked food like that wasn’t worth the extra money and that there were other things money could buy that was far more valuable.

“YO JONES, THE USUAL?” a waiter asked from behind the counter.

Michael nodded to the affirmative and led Gavin and Ray to the far-most booth in the restaurant, away from the rest of the many customers. As they managed to make themselves comfortable, a perky red haired waitress came to their side. After adjusting her glasses, she sat three glasses of extra-large cokes in front of each of them.

“Hey… New guy here?” the waitress asked pleasantly, eying Gavin from top to bottom.

Ray nodded, covering Gavin’s mouth in the process and preventing him from speaking. “This is Gavin… Uh… Gavin Whatshisname… He’s our newest intern from… From… Uh… From somewhere… Thought we’d treat the kid to the best damn burgers in Texas!” he answered.

The waitress smiled brightly. “Well nice to meet you Gavin… I’m Meg! Three usuals are coming right out!” she announced. Turning away, he swore he could spot her winking in his direction. Besides her hair, he could spot a fire burning in her eyes.

Ray lowered his hand. “Sorry bout’ that. What’s your last name and where ya from? That was REALLY awkward” he asked, not wasting any time into grabbing his drink and sucking it down.

Nervously, Gavin reached out and grabbed the extra large coke. He brought the fizzy drink up to his lips and sipped it slowly. The taste of caffeine and the beverage’s syrup sent his taste-buds flying into orbit.

“I’m Gavin, Gavin Free. I’m uh… I’m from Dallas, but it sucked there so I made my way here,” he answered, taking another savory sip from his drink.

Michael didn’t touch his drink, instead staring into Gavin’s eyes. “How long you been on the street?” he asked.

Softly, Gavin sighed. “Since I was twelve. Err… Twelve and a half maybe…” he answered.

“Fuck,” Michael responded, rubbing his forehead. His face seemed a million miles away.

Gavin just shrugged it of. “Meh, not much else I could do about it. At least I got buddies when I made it here,” he replied off-handed.

Shaking off the comment, Michael held out his hand to Gavin. “So like, we really haven’t made an introduction yet… I’m Michael Jones. Long story, if you didn’t guess it from yesterday is that I grew up in New York, fucked up with my folks when I was sixteen, and was on the streets for like fucking ever. I didn’t try to survive and shit, I wanted money and blood and did anything to get ‘em. I did things I wasn’t proud of and hurt people I shouldn’t have hurt. When I was at my lowest and about a week from dying in a gutter from all the fucking gang assholes, I met Burnie a lot like you did, and he took me in right off the street. Got a job cleaning toilets, fixing wires and shit for a few months at their old place, and then got to move up when I learned some about the company. Went from having less than nothing, to having a house, a wife, and too many fucking cats,” he said matter-of-factually.

Gavin’s grip tightened around his beverage. The streets of the bigger cities were NOT to be messed with, and explained a lot about Michael’s Satan-like attitude the day before. He honestly felt worse for Michael than himself.

Michael nodded in his friend’s direction.

Waving politely, the other kid was already halfway done slurping his soda, and had gone to blowing bubbles in his drink. “Ray Narvaez Junior, son of a bastard who kicked me out when he got re-married. Ex-stripper and part-time prostitute extraordinaire. Michael found me when he went back home to New York and brought me out here. We go way back to Kindergarten and shit before we lost each other in the streets. I got Michael’s old job and now I got promoted too after a couple of months. Actually, I’ve just moved here about seven months ago myself. Nice to not be the newbie anymore!” he explained.

Gavin’s stomach churned. Turning tricks wasn’t unheard of (and had been a contemplated source of income for Gavin), but was about the most dangerous profession someone like him could do. Murdering someone from the gutters generally meant nothing happened in terms of justice, and was an easy way to keep a hefty wad of cash. As much as he might have liked that kind of paycheck, it wasn’t worth it in the end. For god knows why, he wanted to live.

Michael and Ray exchanged a quick nod.

"So like… We’ll give you the low-down here. Nobody in the company knows that shit, and we’re not about to tell anyone. I mean, my wife does know about ME, but that’s about it. Our past doesn’t leave us and Burnie," Michael stated.

Ray nodded. “Burnie’s just gonna call you an intern and lump you in with the other new kids coming in Monday, because that’s what he did with us. Nobody’s going to ask questions since interns are generally stupid at first anyway. Just do what you’re told, be nice, and don’t steal anything. Ask us if you need shit, and we’ll get it for you,” he explained.

Taken aback, Gavin exchanged odd looks with both men. Before he had much of a chance to discuss the matter further, Meg returned to their table. Holding up three huge plates in one side of her left arm, she plopped them in front of all three men. “Enjoy! I’ll be back with dessert in a little bit!” she said, winking once more in Gavin’s direction.

He glanced down at the food.

This burger was not fucking around, and Gavin had no desire to meet the cow where that meat had come from. The size of both his fists combined, the beef patty was cooked to perfect and steaming from the inside out. Sourdough bread was covering the top and bottom, fresh and hot out of a toaster. Cheese, lettuce, some mystery sauces, and piping hot bacon were falling out of the sandwich. Fresh fries were decorating the plate, with sea salt topping the still sizzling potatoes.

Tears almost formed in Gavin’s eyes. He had never seen so much food in his short life.

“Don’t eat too fast or too much, you’ll puke. Trust me. Learned that the fucking hard way,” Michael said, slowly cutting his burger in half.

Looking across the way, Ray was stuffing all of the food in his mouth at once, looking like a cross between a squirrel harvesting nuts and a bull-frog croaking.

Hesitantly, Gavin wrapped his hands around the monster of a burger. He brought it up to his lips and let it lie there for a moment. Then, in an instant, bit into it.

The juice from the burger ran down his cheeks. Cheese and bacon melted into one in his mouth, intensifying the taste of the perfectly cooked burger and special secret sauce.

Time seemed to become irrelevant. Bite after bite of food somehow found its way in his mouth, at a slow, yet steady pace. Lost in a paradise of what was the greatest culinary experience in his life, Gavin stopped only when he tried to bite his fingertip.

Brought back down to earth, he realized his plate had been emptied. Not only that, but half of Michael’s and Ray’s plates had also found their way to his side. Neither had said anything as he spent his time eating, just sitting and watching him patiently.

“I think I’ve found a black hole. Someone call NASA,” Michael said, handing Gavin a napkin.

Feeling a thick trail of food covering his face, he blushed.

“I.. Oh… Uh… S… Sorry,” Gavin mumbled as he wiped his face clean. “I uh… I… Sorry,” he said again, unable to accurately think.

Ray laughed heartily. “Dude, relax, we all did it. When Michael brought me out for my first good meal in forever, I ate three gigantic burritos at Chipoltle and then ate all of Burnie’s and half of Michael’s,” he explained.

A smirk covered Michael’s mouth. “Me too… Three extra large pizzas, all supreme. I’m pretty sure Burnie had to drag me to bed after that,” he said in a far-off gaze.

Lost in their thoughts, the three men missed as Meg returned for a third time. In her hands, she laid out three dainty plates in front of them. Strawberry pie with a huge scoop of ice cream was covering them.

“Enjoy! Michael, I’ll put this on Burnie’s tab, okay?” Meg asked.

Michael nodded. “Thanks!” he replied.

She walked off, waving goodbye to all three of them.

Guilt shot through Gavin’s gut.

“Oh… Sorry… I uh.. I don’t have any cash on me…” Gavin admitted.

Ray and Michael rolled their eyes.

“Dude, relax. Number one, we would have paid for you. Number two, Burnie has a tab at all the major restaurants. If anyone in the company is short on cash or just needs a good lunch, he lets us eat out once a month on the company’s dime. This was our time, but seriously, just relax. Michael, Burnie and I will make sure you’re okay,” Ray explained happily.

Michael nodded. “Seriously, you think we’re going to stick you with the check? Fucking moron,” he stated, slugging Gavin in the arm.

Pouting, Gavin grabbed a fork and cut into his pie. The cream, the berries and the crispy crust made him begin to phase away once more. Though he stopped mid-jump into fairy-tale food land, instead focusing back on Michael and Ray.

"Why did you guys… You know… Do all this? Pick me up off the street and be nice to me? Is Burnie just that nice?" Gavin asked.

Michael glanced away. “That’s Burnie’s business, ask him yourself. Not like it’s a secret, but… Meh, you need to hear it from him,” he said.

Gavin turned to Ray, who finally swallowed the gargantuan bite he had taken.

"We’re being nice so you know we got your back. Nobody fucked with us when we got hired, so nobody fucks with you now, or they get both of us at the same time up in their shit. And bitch, we will stab the HELL out of anyone that does," Ray said immediately.

There was an odd warmth from the man’s words. Like his friends back in the alley, he knew Ray wasn’t lying, for whatever reason.

Ray nodded as Gavin seemed to believe him. “Besides man, we street brothers got to stick together. We’re family and that’s all there is to it,” he said, holding out his fist for a bump.

Unfamiliar with the concept, Gavin just stared at the fist oddly.

Huffing, Michael forced Ray’s fist down. “That, and… Well, it sucks being alone in the world. Everyone needs a bud when we’re… You know… Outnumbered,” he said annoyingly, signaling in the direction of the general population.

The three of them sat in silence after that.

Sounds of whining children in the corner, cursing at their parents for not letting them get the “grown up” menu made them cringe angrily. They watched as someone stuck their nose up at a vegetable dinner, tossing it in a nearby garbage receptacle and wasting enough food for an entire day. Though the most disturbing was seeing someone just outside the window, with a scruffy beard and ragged clothes, look inside with pitiful eyes and finally give up.

Gavin looked away.

“Hey….” Michael mumbled.

Glancing up to his “bud”, he saw something new.

In a rare moment, Michael smiled and gave Gavin a thumbs up. “It gets better from here and you get your life back. This company is going to change your life in more ways than one, and I know that you’re going to change their lives right back. You’re getting about fifty new people to your family, and we’re all going to make sure you never go back to the ways things were. And…. That’s all there is to it!” he offered.

Though just as quickly as his good mood had come, it vacated as he pushed Gavin out of the booth and through the crowd of loud people. “MOVE YOUR ASS RAY!” Michael boomed, signaling for his friend to finish packing up the leftover food in the container to his side. He grabbed several hundred napkins as well, stuffing them inside the box before jogging to join the two of them.

Michael opened the door for Gavin and Ray to exit.

The three of them exited the diner in unison Just by the positioning of the sun and years of experience, at least two or more hours had passed by Gavin’s judgment. At this hour of the day, he’d usually go stalk restaurants for their post-lunch dumping of garbage. With that no longer necessary, a horrifying aspect came into his mind.

“ _What do I do now?”_ Gavin thought to himself. He shoved his hands into his pockets, not sure how to proceed.

Ray, however, seemed to already know as he slapped the back of Gavin’s head. “So man, now we’ve got like a couple of hours to do whatever we want until it gets dark and we can go hit up a bar. I say we go to a movie and let Gavin enjoy the wonders that is The Alamo’s seating” Ray announced.

Gavin blushed. Even being homeless, he knew what The Alamo was, and how expensive of an experience it was. “I uh… I don’t have any-” he said quietly, cutting himself off. Remembering what they had said, he instead cleared his throat. “You think… You guys could spot me this time?” he asked politely.

Ray and Michael laughed loudly.

"Relax man, you’re one of the boys now. We spot you anytime you need, even after your ass gets a paycheck and a house!" Ray admitted proudly, throwing his arm around Gavin’s neck. Michael did the same as the three of them walked towards the local theater.

As they passed a side street, Ray left his to-go container on top of a dumpster. The scruffy haired man that had been stalking the diner earlier looked up as Ray winked in his direction.

In half a second, the sounds of eager munching and happy grunts echoed in the area.   


	3. A New Normal

Saturday night had been the best night of Gavin’s life. After watching an animated show about a Frozen princess followed up by a trip to a rocking bar and an all-night ice cream parlor, he’d wanted nothing more than to pas out the second he got home.

_Home_

A strange noun he’d never really used in the past decade, yet it felt appropriate. As he walked in at around 10 that night, Burnie was sitting in the living room and welcomed all three in as if they were his children. They talked into the early hours of the morning.

Ray told them stories about his job in the strip club, and the many weirdoes he’d had to deal with. Though he also shared the great manager he’d had that kept him safe each and every day.

Michael recounted a tale when he had the ability to save a tourist from some of the local gangbangers, and just as he was about to mug them himself, they gave him a hundred dollar bill and thanked him profusely.

Gavin… Gavin didn’t say much that night, instead choosing to listen than share his darker days.

Thankfully, Burnie had been merciful and caught onto his feelings, shooing everyone out of the house so he and Gavin could get some sleep.

Sunday had been a similar experience for the lad of the day before. Another day out with “his boys” (as Michael kept referring to their group as) at restaurants with huge portions, an afternoon at a local arcade, and a short shopping spree at a local mall. He’d been given fifty bucks to buy some clothes from Burnie, as well as his “boys” grabbing him a couple of “essentials”. Gavin wasn’t sure that a used gameboy was “essential”, but the fancy animal-print cloth socks from the Super Sock Shack and summer vest with half a dozen pockets were exactly what he’d always wanted.

Once again, Burnie was “off” on his “errands”, and didn’t have the opportunity to join the lads.

Though his weekend of peace was swiftly replaced with the Monday morning that would start his first day of work. Burnie had dropped him off at the main gate, and told him exactly where to report to, promising him that he’d come check on him after he took care of a few important issues on the other side of their lot.

So it was in his new summer working vest, a pair of socks that didn’t match, the amazing cargo shorts, and another one of Burnie’s company shirts that he walked into the main production office.

“Hello?” Gavin asked, entering the empty office. The front desk, in front of half a dozen huge company posters, was empty. He could hear a minor racket in the far back, but chose to ignore it as a chainsaw began going off.

"Hello?" Gavin called out once more, stepping closer inside the plush red carpeting that marked the particular building.

His second call out seemed to do the trick, and he heard the fervent footsteps of someone jogging down the hallway. Greeting him, a tall and well-toned man about his age came into the area. Short cut and cropped brown hair, with a rather grim look about himself, the man’s masculine look was rather betrayed by a vivid pink polo.

"Gavin, right? They told me to wait out here for you and the other guy, but I got bored and looked around a spot," he explained.

Nodding to confirm, Gavin stepped closer to the. “Gavin, Gavin Free. I’m uh.. The new intern guy?” he asked, rather than explained.

“I’m Dan Gruchy. Born and raised in England, nice to meet you mate! the tall man said, taking Gavin’s hand and shaking it firmly.

The force of Dan’s grip nearly broke his hand in half.

Gavin smiled. “Nice to meet you!” he replied, mumbling painfully as he tried to free his hand.

As they stopped their handshake, Gavin noticed as a shiny beaded lanyard shifted under his shirt.

Dan noticed that he had noticed. Quickly, he pulled out said necklace. Unlike what he had thought was a lanyard, it was actually a pair of dog tags.

“Ex-military. I got my honorable discharge about half a year ago after a little biffed up mission, and got a chance to apply for the new Rooster Teeth internship. Got it, so I moved out here so maybe I can get a job. Where you from?” he asked.

Gulping, Gavin just chose to chuckle the question. “Oh, you know… Around! So uh… We just stay here?” he asked, glancing around nervously.

Dan threw his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, the boss man said not to bug him till all three of us get her-” he explained, cut off as the door behind them swung open with the force a F5 tornado in the middle of Oklahoma on a long Spring Day.

"FUCKING HELL, I’M NOT LATE, I WAS HERE I PROMISE! KARA WOULDN’T LET ME IN, SO I HAD TO BREAK IN THE DOOR BY FORCE AND DODGE HER ICE CREAM THROWING SKILLS!" a mystery man yelled.

Gavin looked the man over. He felt rather… Familiar looking.

Between the tanned body, the toned physique, the skin-tight t-shirt, and the gelled brown hair, he looked like one of the characters from the show Burnie made him watch the night before.

… The Jersey Shore?

Shaking off the memory, he came back to reality.

"Blaine, right?" Dan asked, offering her hand out much like he’d done for Gavin.

The muscle man shook Dan’s hand and nodded.

"Cool! Come on, we’re all here so we can go talk to Gus now!" Dan explained.

Without much else in the form of formal introductions, Dan led them down the warehouse’s long hallway. They passed several rooms, choosing to ignore the grown men in high heels with prop swords and scythes, the room with someone getting chainsawed in the face with fake blood pouring out everywhere, and what appeared to be someone in a large African American fat-suit giving another man a lap dance.

“ _What the fuck have I gotten myself into?”_ Gavin thought, suddenly wondering if he’d walked into a porn studio. He really should have asked what kind of company this was before accepting the job offer.

As they reached the far most office, away from the rest of the people in the building, Dan knocked on the door. A nameplate “Gus Sorola” was hanging by the door.

"Come in unless your name is Geoff or Joel," a snarky deep voice echoed from behind the door.

Chuckling, Dan quickly opened the door in front of them.

Entering the office, Gavin and his co-interns were met with a rather grouchy-looking man somewhere in between his thirties and forties. A notable amount of facial hair covered his face, and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses covered his eyes.

"Ah. The fresh meat!" Gus exclaimed, rubbing his hands together and suddenly looking like he’d gotten in a much better mood.

Gavin took a step backwards, instinctively hiding behind the much larger Dan.

Blaine and Dan waved happily.

"Nice to meet you Gus! I loved you in last week’s short!" Blaine offered politely.

Dan nodded, chuckling. “Yeah, that was bloody brilliant!” he exclaimed.

 _"Short?_ " Gavin thought, wondering what on earth they were talking about.

Gus laughed the comment off, rolling his eyes. “Suck ups…” he mumbled under his breath. As he stood up, he shifted through several papers on his desk. “Alrighty then, how many of you have ever heard of OCEA?” Gus asked with a gigantic, almost threatening smile.

Gavin exchanged and odd look with Blaine and Dan, and all three shook their heads in unison.

“Great, exactly what I needed to know! Let’s get you guys your assignments for the week, and I’ll take you to your new places! You all signed the waivers, right?” Gus said (only somewhat joking), picking up the clipboard from his desk and flipping through the pages. He turned to Blaine. “So muscle douchebag, I’ve got you with our RT film crew. You’ll be doing shit like lugging cameras around and trying not to break things. They might prank and stick you in a piece, so just act natural,” he said.

The muscle man whispered a firm “YES” under his breath, and pumping his fist in victory.

Gus then turned to Dan.

“So, you’ve actually got a moderate amount of experience with being in combat from reading your resume, so I’m sticking you with animation. They’ll throw you in a mo-cap suit and have you act out some scenes. Just remember to “air out” the suit before you put it on, Miles wore it last and he has stinky balls. Oh, and if they ask you to wear women’s shoes, that’s normal. We’re animating a show with an all-female main cast,” Gus muttered, nodding in Dan’s direction.

Dan was a tad less enthused than Blaine had been thanks to Gus’ last comment, but nodded, glaring down at his feed rather despairingly.

Finally, Gus turned to Gavin.

“Okay, so… Based on your resume, you’ve never worked a job in your life and have no marketable skills to your name except experience in shipping and delivery,” Gus explained rather annoyingly.

 _"I have a resume?"_ Gavin thought, choosing not to bring that comment up.

Gavin clenched his stomach muscles, having been hit right below the belt in the worst way possible.

Though Gus just chuckled. “So we’ll stick you in the best place you belong and throw you to the Achievement Hunter wolves, and maybe let the marketing department have you on Fridays. Have fun there, they are INSANE,” he exclaimed with a bright white smile.

"WHAT?!" Blaine exclaimed quietly under his breath, turning to Gavin with a jealous glare.

Dan smiled, offering him a fist. “Dude, awesome!” he offered.

Gus cleared his throat. “So, uh… Any questions?” he asked.

Immediately, Gavin raised his hand.

"I do! What’s achievement hunter?" Gavin asked.

Blaine and Dan both nearly fainted on the spot as their skin lost all form of color.

 

+

Upon first glance, Gavin had decided that while “Rooster Teeth” wasn’t a porn studio, it was about as close as one could get. Though he hadn’t seen any of their work, it was all he could come up with.

Gus had dropped Dan off in the “animation” department. As soon as they walked in, he saw two grown men fighting over a body pillow that had a half-naked animated woman on it. He was also almost perfectly sure that there was a full-grown Asian man in the back with a katana in one hand, threatening to destroy a computer for not running fast enough and disrupting his productivity.

The film department for Blaine wasn’t much better. Not a second into walking inside of it, they had people already tearing at Blaine’s clothes, saying he was a “perfect” delivery guy for their latest “script”.

So whatever “Achievement Hunter” was, he became acutely aware that someone would probably see him naked by the end of the day. Choosing not to run out of fear, he allowed Gus to take him to the farthest lot in the warehouse structures.

The man seemed a little put out by the head and the walking.

"If you didn’t know, we just moved into this place and we did it in phases. The last people to move is your new department, so they’re still getting set up today. Half their crew is still at the old building, finishing up a few recordings before they make the transition. If we miss updates, they tend to send Ray death threats, and we like to avoid that at all costs," Gus explained.

Gavin nodded, as his eyes grew wide.

 _"Death threats? What the fuck do they make!?"_ he thought immediately.

Finally reaching the warehouse in question, it was marked with a large black and green star. Without bothering to knock, Gus swung the door pen and signaled for Gavin to enter with him.

The area was nothing short of a disaster area, much unlike the previous two locales. Boxes everywhere, and furniture still half-assembled in areas on the floor. A gigantic pile of plastic cases were littering a desk, towering to the sky.

"GEOFF, YOUR SLAVE IS HERE!" Gus said, punching Gavin in the shoulder to signal that he was joking.

"I’M COMING, I’M COMING, THOSE BASTARDS LEFT ME HERE ALL ALONE!" the "Geoff" shouted. Popping up from behind a pile of boxes, sweat was pouring from the man’s pale skin. He appeared to be in his later thirties, with a ridiculous villainous moustache and tattoos lining every inch of his arms and hands. He assumed there were more underneath his shirt, based on the lines snaking out from his collar. While a little chubby around the middle, he certainly still had a normal physique for a man his age, if not a little better.

This “Geoff” reminded him a lot of stabbin’ Eddy, just without a giant afro or a trademark pink skirt.

Breaking his memory of the street serial killer, Gus patted Gavin hard on the shoulder. “Geoff, this is Gavin. He’ll be your intern, so have fun and try not to kung-shu this one in the nuts like you did the last one. HR is still on my ass about that one, you dumb fuck,” Gus mumbled, rolling his eyes and walking away from the spot.

“THANKS,” Geoff shouted, kicking his shoe at Gus. The article of footwear missed, hitting the door instead.

After Gus shut the door behind him, the two men were left to their own devices. Sighing, Geoff rubbed the back of his head. He then made his way to Gavin and held out his sweaty hand.

"Geoff Ramsey, I’m the founder of Achievement Hunter. We here at Achievement Hunter are kind of like one of the "big three" in RoosterTeeth. Burnie is over the company as a whole, I’m the boss for our online content called Achievement Hunter with my partner Jack, and Monty Oum is over the animation department. But we’re all a big family here, and in the end we don’t really do the hierarchy shit like most companies. Just be nice to everyone and you’ll be fine," he explained.

Gavin shook the man’s hand. It was much less crushing than Dan’s and far more friendly.

"I’m Gavin, Gavin Free. Did uh… Did Burnie tell you anything about me?" Gavin asked quietly.

Geoff nodded immediately. “Yeah, I heard about that… Sorry man, it sucks your apartment burned down and you lost everything. But hell, at least you got Burnie to give you a place to stay. Would have let you stay at my place, but I’m letting the Dan kid stay with me until he gets his own place,” he explained.

"Uh… Yeah," Gavin said, nodding along with the story that had apparently been told.

Sighing, Geoff turned away as the niceties ended. “So like… I have no idea what to do with you right now, we’re still getting our new office set up right now, and my minions are off recording some shitty Action News crap at the old office with Jack… I’d ask you to hook the computers up, but we have really fucked up wire management and expensive equipment that is VERY sensitive, so I’m going to have to do it myself… Uh… If I tell you where to move shit, can you sort of organize it?” he asked, chuckling to himself with a hearty sound of laughter.

Gavin nodded.

“ _Manual labor I can do… Just don’t make me use the fucking computers or strip off my clothes…”_  Gavin thought to himself.

Geoff smiled. “Cool. Why don’t you start with the games on the table over there? Try and alphabetize them if you can, we play a lot of shit and need to keep it straight,” he explained.

A sigh of relief went through his head. He moved over to the table and glanced at the many different games. While the titles themselves might have been in Greek, he had enough understanding of the alphabet to at least know what letter came first. So he dived into the many plastic boxes, sorting them by the letter in their first name, and he’d work with other problems after that.

By the time he’d made it to the “e” pile, he noticed that his supervisor kept swearing profusely.

"Fucking…. FUCK. FUCKING DUCK ON A GODDAMN TRUCK," Geoff screamed, throwing his hands up in the air.

Looking up from his stack, Gavin noticed that Geoff was having a particularly difficult time putting together furniture. He was holding his tools incorrectly, and didn’t realize he had the screws in the wrong position. Furthermore, Geoff seemed to be using two completely incompatible parts.

Unable to see the suffering any longer, Gavin moved over to Geoff’s side, taking the screwdriver from the angry man’s hand. “I can get it,” he explained. Effortlessly, the lad slid the bracket into place, grabbed the right screw for the hole, poked the screw through and began twisting the tool repeatedly. He switched to a new one as he moved on to the next set of brackets. “See, you’ve got to use the right head, or it won’t screw right and it’ll fall apart,” he explained, showing his work to Geoff.

In a matter of just a few minutes, the shelf’s base was completed

“Oh wow… You’re pretty good with your hands!” Geoff said, twisting his moustache in his hands with a diabolical smirk.

Moving on to the next level, Gavin repeated the same movements over again for the next level. “Thanks. I did this a few places when I worked some… Uh… I guess temp jobs. I’m good with stuff that makes sense like this. You know, fitting parts in place,” he explained.

Chuckling, Geoff nodded. “You are! Hey, why don’t you finish up the shelves and desks and I’ll do the game sorting. You’ll get it done faster than I can!” he exclaimed, patting Gavin on the shoulder.

The lad nodded, returning to his work on the shelf.

"So… What made you want to work here? Burnie said you’ve never really heard about us before, and we’re a pretty weird place," Geoff asked, squatting down to the game-level and working where Gavin h ad left off.

Gavin cleared his throat. “Well, I uh… I’m not exactly brilliant or some shit. Didn’t really finish school, and Burnie said I could have a job and do some stuff that didn’t take a brain surgeon. So, I uh… I thought why not?” he said, not lying entirely.

Nodding, Geoff began work on organizing the next pile of Games. “Cool. So why didn’t you finish school? You mean high school or college?” he asked.

"High school," Gavin replied immediately.

Geoff turned around and gave Gavin an odd look. “Who the fuck can’t finish high school?” he asked, rather rudely.

Raising his hand, Gavin rolled his eyes.

"Huh… Well, that’s weird… You ever thought of going back?" Geoff asked.

Gavin laughed. “I’m 24. I don’t think I’d fit in,” he offered bluntly.

He felt an empty video game box hit him on the back of head. “Dumbass, I meant some of the adult classes to get your GED. Fuck, it’s a couple hours a night and it’ll make you feel better about yourself. Actually… Michael and Ray did that too when they came here…  If you want help with it, let me know and I’ll get you enrolled.  My does a lot for their arts program,” Geoff offered in a truly sincere voice. 

Though in the same breath, the man’s face scowled.  ”Seriously though, what the fuck is it with you and your generation not finishing school?” Geoff asked, clearly perturbed.

Gavin chuckled nervously, and just shrugged. “I uh… I don’t know!” he replied.

Conversation halted after that. As Gavin finished the shelf, he stood it up and allowed Geoff to start filing the games he’d been organizing. While Geoff did that, Gavin started work on the few remaining desks that hadn’t been put together correctly, or were still in disarray. After he finished that, Geoff moved on to his laptop and was answering some company e-mails while Gavin went on to other things.

As the last tool was put away in the red toolbox about three hours later, Gavin stepped back to admire his handiwork. The desks were assembled, the rolling chairs they’d all be sitting at put together, and all of the games had been put in their proper place. A writing board was nailed perfectly to a wall, and several framed awards were stuck up with special tape.

All in all, it was easy work. Though being in an air-conditioned environment with music blasting from his boss’s phone, it was somewhat different than his other odd jobs he’d been given.

“HEY, he didn’t fuck up!” Michael shouted.

Turning around, Gavin was met with a few familiar faces, and two new ones.

Michael and Ray, the friends he’d met the day before, were finally back from their recording session. Beside them, a gigantic man with a broad figure and flaming red beard was holding a box under his arm. Geoff wasn’t far off from them as he raced to their side, speaking with another muscular man only a few years older than himself. The other man had well styled blonde hair, and seemed to be wearing some odd cow shirt.

“Wooooow… We have a fucking office again! About damn time!” Ray shouted, wasting no time in hopping on one of the newly constructed desks.

Geoff smiled. “Yeah, he did a great job! We can actually start putting the computers and shit together!” he announced, pointing to the boxes in the far corner that Gavin hadn’t touched.

A pale color covered Gavin’s face. The last computer he’d used had been an Apple Macintosh back in the second grade when he played Math Munchers.

"Not Gavin!" exclaimed a loud Gus Sorola.

The group turned around, and saw Gus standing with the two other interns.

"Burnie says to feed and pay for the interns lunch and get them to finish up their employment paperwork. I’m going to drop them off at Isabelle’s Diner and grab some stuff from the store. So come on AH Gremlin!" Gus ordered, whistling for Gavin to come.

Geoff smiled and nodded. “Sounds good, we’ll hook up the computers and when you get back , we’ll kind of go over a game plan for what you can do for us!” he said.

Nodding, Gavin walked out of the office, nodding and fist-bumping with Ray and Michael before leaving.

+

In the same diner he’d eaten just a few days earlier, Gus had dropped him, Dan and Blaine off. He was a tad disappointed that the red-haired waitress wasn’t serving them, but he’d been able to order the biggest chicken strip dinner he’d ever seen, so he didn’t complain too much.

Though as he told Blaine and Dan about what he’d done that morning, they seemed less than impressed.

Blaine actually proceeded to snort in his drink. “You what? They seriously made you put TABLES together? Fuck, that sucks major dick, sorry man” he said.

“Why?” Gavin shot back immediately. Though he hadn’t cured cancer or landed on the moon, he’d thought his morning work had been somewhat useful. After all, he spared the world the crafting abilities of his boss’s less than skillful hands.

Laughing, macho man just shook his head. “Dude, this is a MEDIA company. We’re MEDIA interns! If they don’t have you doing MEDIA stuff, it sort of sucks! I mean, putting together IKEA shit? That’s got to be like the worst job of all time!” he exclaimed bitterly.

“No it’s not,” Dan and Gavin replied in unison.

They turned to face each other, as their eyes met in an odd fashion.

“What’s worse then?” Blaine asked, as he stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth.

Dan looked away from Gavin and pulled up his shirt, revealing a tiny patch of off-colored skin. “Being in the army, getting ambushed and fucking SHOT and honorably discharged into a hospital for six months after they say you can’t serve anymore!” he said.

Not to be outdone, Gavin pulled down his collar, revealing his own patch of pinkish-white skin. It was in the shape of a diamond, and covered a good portion of his collarbone. “Making a delivery for a guy I met on a corner, getting shoved into an alley, and getting stabbed with a knife and left to die,” he said proudly. Though it was a painful experience, it had earned him his “cred” in the neighborhood.

Though as the words left his lips, he quickly realized his mistake in admitting such a part of his past.

“THE FUCK?!” Blaine shouted, mouth agape with horror.

Dan wasn’t much better, shooting a bewildered look to his co-intern.

Laughing, Gavin hid the scar from view once more.

“It was uh… Well, it was a bloody mess, and I lost the stuff so I uh… I didn’t even get paid!” Gavin laughed nervously.

“What on earth were you delivering that made someone stab you!?” Dan shouted.

Blaine came back down to earth, and pointed right at Gavin’s face. “Let me guess… You were a drug trafficking hobo on the street!” he exclaimed, laughing heartily.

Dan snickered at the comment as well.

As his face fell, Gavin tried to smile and chuckle along.

“Actually.. It was meth,” he said truthfully, but punctuating with a wink to give it less credit.

He chose not to say much for the rest of lunch, instead choosing to listen to Dan and Blaine’s life stories.

Not much could be said. Blaine was a college student about to graduate with a degree in Media Arts, and hoping to get a full time position with Rooster Teeth.

Dan was from England, had been a long time fan, and wanted to at least have a someone enjoyable “sedentary” job (as he put it), if he couldn’t serve his country anymore. While on a temporary work visa, he was intending to work towards getting his citizenship if he received a full-time offer from the company.

AS they both finished exchanging stories, they both turned to Gavin with the same expecting eyes.

"So… What’s your story? Where you from, where did you go to school?" Blaine asked.

Gavin looked away. “Oh… You know… Around….” he mumbled quietly.

"OH COME ON, GIVE US MORE THAN THAT!" Blaine exlaimed.

Before Gavin had a chance to object, Dan covered Blaine’s mouth and turned to Gavin.  ”Relax, you don’t have to say a word.  Your past is your past, and it belongs there.  Right, Blaine?” he said, turning to the other man with a menicing glare.

Blaine nodded without a moment of hesitation.

Dan turned back to Gavin.  ”See?  All better.  Now, what do you do for fun?  Do you like games?  Want to hang out some time?  It’ll be fun, and we can play games or some shit!” he said, already having changed the subject.

Smiling, Gavin nodded at the offer.  Dan was certainly a friendly guy, and saved what might have been a ridiculously awkward lunch.  

"Gavin!  How’s it going?" Burnie exclaimed.

Turning around, all three interns were met with the bright face of Burnie Burns.  Walking up to the booth they’d taken up, he plopped down to the immediate right of him, holding a plastic container of food he’d obviously called in earlier.  

"How’s the first day going?  Anyone giving you guys a hard time?" Burnie asked, clearly interested.

As Dan and Blaine went on about their day, Gavin couldn’t help notice that Burnie kept piling part of his own meal on Gavin’s plate, making a never-ending plate of french fries.

Gavin didn’t complain, grateful as his stomach finally seemed to be expanding and getting used to such large meals.

+

The rest of the work day had gone about as he’d expected. When he got back from lunch, Gavin was tasked with a lot of moving back and forth between the company’s new and old location. He and Geoff worked closely together as they drove the company van, and he got to know his new boss pretty intimately. Not a bad guy, he was ex-military like Dan, and was just about the most laid back man he’d ever known. He had a wife named Griffon and a son who everyone apparently just called “Kid” that was in the third grade.

Michael and Ray, naturally, helped him learn more about what Achievement Hunter was. Apparently, people paid them money to play video games on the internet, and paid even more money for shirts that had their sayings on it. He didn’t really “get” it, but would apparently get first hand experience the following day as their recording stuff finally would be hooked up and viable.

Jack and Ryan were nice guys as well. Jack was very fatherly and cared about all of the, while Ryan was mildly psychotic.

Though at the end of the day, after moving for a good nine to ten hours, he was thrilled when Burnie came by to pick him up and take him home.

After a heavy helping of homemade pizza and a long movie about a kid named Forrest Gump, he and Burnie sat in silence in the evening’s waning hours, as they caught up on the latest episode of some show Burnie seemed to enjoy.

Besides small talk, he hadn’t really brought up much of anything about what he and Michael had discussed the day previously.  Deciding to bite the bullet, he balled his hands up into a fist.

"So uh… Burnie… Could I ask a question?" Gavin inquired quietly.

His boss nodded immediately. “Anything! What’s up?” Burnie asked brightly.

Fidgeting in his seat, Gavin sighed. “So… I asked Michael why you did what you did for all of us. You know… Taking us in and stuff. He said it wasn’t a secret, but that you should probably be the one to tell me.  So uh…  Why do you take us in and stuff?” he explained.

"Oh," Burnie responded quickly. His cheery disposition seemed to evaporate in an instant, replaced with a strained squint of his eyes.

Gavin waved the conversation off immediately. “Oh, I’m sorry! You don’t have to tell me!” he exclaimed immediately.

The man stood up from the couch they’d been sharing. Making his way to the nearby window, he seemed to focus on the bright stars illuminating the sky. “No… You deserve to know, and… I don’t mind sharing my secret when I know yours,” he replied. Burnie seemed focused on the bright moon overhead. “I… I knocked a girl up in college when I was about your age, some twenty something years ago. Broken condom or something, I don’t know how it happened to be honest… So, as soon as she knew, she came begging for my help and wanted to get married,” he mumbled.

"What did you do?" Gavin asked, still seated on the comfortable leather couch.

Burnie laughed. “I was a douchebag piece of shit, that’s what I was. I asked her if it was mine and started complaining about how MY life was ruined. How this “kid” was nothing but trouble and was going to get between us. I was just young, shocked and angry, I didn’t really mean any of it, but… I still said it, there’s no taking it back, and there’s no excuse for how I acted. After that, she ran out of my life and went back home from wherever she had some family at. I got a letter about 8-9 months later telling me I had a son and that I’d never see him as long as I lived. She said she’d already met another man who could take care of him like a REAL father should. Right at that moment, I knew I’d fucked up…” he said, with a faraway glance.

“Oh…” Gavin mumbled with a crestfallen expression, realizing he’d struck a sensitive issue.

Sighing, Burnie rubbed the back of his neck. “I tried every day for YEARS to find them. I… I wanted to find my son and be a father for him, even if he hated me for what I’d done.  I make pretty good money and just wanted to at least…  I don’t know, do something to ake it right.  I… I was stupid… I spent thousands of dollars on private investigators, those services that find missing people, and whatever I thought might work. Hell, that’s what I do every weekend. I meet up with people in different states like me, who are looking for their kids,” he explained quietly.

There was an awkward silence between them.

“Did… Did you ever find him?” Gavin finally found the courage to ask.

Burnie chuckled quietly. “Yep… Well, I found his mother anyway, a few years ago.  She’d moved to Dallas after the kid was born…” he said.

“Just his mother?” Gavin added in.

He nodded. “Yeah… She… She said he was a difficult child growing up, dumb as a brick, and so bratty that he was ruining her relationship with her husband, and she’d said some cruel things to him that she shouldn’t have said after a big argument. So… The child left one day after they had a fight in the middle of the night, about when he was going to be a teenager, and… She never saw him again after that,” Burnie said.

Gavin clenched his fists angrily. Memories of his own mother throwing him out raced through his mind.  Because of some bastard she’d been shacking up with for a week and a half, and who she eloped with at a drive-in marriage parlor.

Burnie sighed loudly. “I uh… I still haven’t given up finding him. His mother is looking for him too, we both have, for the better part of the last 10 years…  She dropped the loser and got back on her feet, so she wants to make right with him too.  I… I don’t know how to explain it, but I just KNOW he’s still alive out there somewhere, just waiting for someone to bring him home.  But you know..  He might be dead for all I know,” he explained dimly.

“What… What did she name him?” Gavin asked. A loud thump rose in his heart, and he wasn’t exactly sure why.

Burnie shrugged. “She still hates me, even after all these years… She won’t tell me his name. All she said is that he was named after his grandfather and took his stepfather’s last name, and looked nothing like me. His birth records are sealed since she listed her first husband as the father, so… Heh… I guess I’ll never know.   You know, I offered her a ridiculous amount of money for that information too, and she just spat in my face.  Once I got on my hands and knees and begged, the only time I’ll ever probably do that,” he said quietly.

Gavin stood up from his seat, frowning. “I’m so sorry… That sucks not having ever met your son…” he said.

A small smile seemed to return on Burnie’s face, and he managed to finally face Gavin again. “So uh.. That’s why I do what I do. I see a kid like you… About as old as my son would be, and think… He’s out there somewhere, just like you were. And I… I just want to make it right so that maybe, just maybe, I might make up for what I did to him. Had I not been so self-centered, he might have lived a normal life,” Burnie said.

Gavin nodded vehemently. “Believe me, you have! You’ve saved our lives! Me, Michael and Ray! You’re.. You’re awesome!  It would be awesome to have you for a dad!” he exclaimed.

It didn’t take long for Burnie’s full joy to return to his cheeks. “Heh.. Not really. I just try to suck a little less every day,” he mumbled, waving off Gavin’s compliment. Instead, he clapped his hands together as hard as he could. “Hey… I’m gonna make a big bowl of strawberries and throw a shitload of sugar on them. Want some?” Burnie offered, back to his usual smiling self.

Gavin nodded instantly. “Yeah, they’re my favorite food EVER!  All I got were moldy ones on the street, PLEASE tell me they’re fresh!” he shouted.

“Really? Me too, of course they’re fresh! How do you feel about fried mozzarella dipped in marinara sauce?” Burnie replied as the two men walked off into the kitchen for an after-dinner snack.

Both, as if on instinct, made it a point to stretch their arms out mid-stride, first from the left and then to the right.  Like two sides of a mirror, they then proceeded to adjust their vividly colored socks.  Though neither of them seemed to notice, Gavin had purchased the exact same pair of jungle-print socks that Burnie had already owned for years.

 


	4. A Father Figure

More perks came with employment than just a regular paycheck, as Gavin quickly came to learn in the first week of his full employment at Rooster Teeth productions.

First and foremost, the flow of time seemed to be vastly different than when he was on the streets. An hour doing work in an air conditioned paradise went by much faster than an hour slumped in a corner counting the number of rats that passed by. What seemed like an eternity before was now a flash of good times and the occasional dodged shoe.

Conversations were a lot more interesting as well. Talking with Dan, Michael, Ray and Blaine was far different than when talking to his old alleyway buddies. Instead of survival skills and the locations of the best trash spots around the city, Gavin’s new batch of friends were more interested in the latest movies and video games they might start playing. Or women. Blaine had several VERY interesting stories that he questioned if were possible. Both in physics and in endurance.

Then there was the fact that working for Rooster Teeth wasn’t like working for a regular company. After his first day of manual labor, Gavin was soon put right on the spot and used in various ways. From recording his department playing video games, to being pranked in “behind the scenes”, and even being part of a trial run where he played a video game with Michael. Though after Michael threw the keyboard out of the window and took a hammer to a prop X-box, Gavin wasn’t as eager to repeat the raging experience.

Though out of all of the employment changes that came into his life, one had been a rather irritating experience over the past week. After his paperwork had cleared, Gavin had found himself with health, vision and dental insurance. As soon as his card came in through the mail, Burnie had forced the lad into a long set of medical appointments, one after another. His compliance in the appointments hadn’t been an option, as Burnie’s “puppy eyes” basically made up his mind for him. Though the final straw was broken as Burnie and Michael both sat on him, and refused to get up until he agreed.

Before the vision and dental experiences to soon come later in the week, he’d found himself in the doctor’s office with Burnie, a few days after he’d had blood drawn, skin poked for allergies, and provided several different types of “samples”. Besides the results being reported, the second half of the check up was schedule for that day. A full physical and x-ray workup had been on his plate for his “after-work” fun.

Walking back inside from the attached restroom, Gavin had finally been allowed to put back on his clothes and ditch the skimpy gown he’d been forced to wear.

“That was bloody embarrassing. A stranger saw my bum, you didn’t tell me that a stranger would see my bum!” Gavin mumbled, blushing wildly.

Burnie chuckled. “Doctors see that sort of stuff all the time Gavin, it’s nothing new to them. Don’t be so embarrassed, wouldn’t you rather be healthy?” he replied, flipping another page in a magazine he’d picked up in the front lobby.

Plopping himself back down on the room’s patient bed, Gavin sighed loudly. “Why’d you make me come here? I don’t feel bad!” he announced loudly.

His boss glanced up from the magazine, shooting him an angry glare in the process. “Because you have been sleeping on the streets for the better part of half your life. You’ve eaten raw, gross food out of a garbage can, slept on trash that might have had needles, and I’m not even going to speculate about your hygiene. I just want to make sure you don’t have AIDS, staff, or some shit that might actually be treatable if we start NOW. You’ve got your life back, let’s not fuck up and lose it right away,” Burnie mumbled quietly under his breath. “That and I didn’t do this for Ray when he first moved in, and I will never make that mistake again. Fucking prick gave me the goddamn flu,” he shot back.

Gavin rolled his eyes. “I hate doctors. They’re so rude and only care about if you’ve got money or not. I went into the ER once, had a nasty cut on my arm that started turning black, and when I said I didn’t have any insurance, the crazy guy wanted to just cut off my arm!” he yelled angrily. Instinctively, he cradled his arm into his body.

Before they had much chance to discuss the matter further, a knock came to the door. “Dr. Andre, coming in!” a heavy voice said. Without bothering to wait for confirmation, the door swung open. An African American man in a long white coat made himself home quickly in the open seat next to Burnie.

“Hi there Gavin, I’m Dr. Andre filling in for Dr. Collins,” Dr. Andre said, offering his hand to Burnie. “You must be Gavin’s father! Nice to meet you!” he asked.

Gavin laughed under his breath. It wasn’t far off, considering how the man had been treating him lately.

“Nope, I’m Gavin’s boss. He’s new to this place, so I thought he’d need someone bringing him. Where’s Dr. Collins?” Burnie explained.

The Doctor shook his head. “He’s in court right now. I swear, you do one little thing like switch someone’s baby in the OR and everyone freaks out,” Dr. Andre said, sighing loudly.

“BYE!” Gavin exclaimed, attempting to hop out of room. Burnie stopped him, holding his arm in place easily.

The Doctor slapped his knee. “HA! That gets them every time! I was just kidding, he’s had an emergency pop up across town,” he answered, punctuating with a bright smile.

Burnie smiled. “So Dr. Andre… What’s the results? Is Gavin okay? Did anything pop up on the tests?” he asked, as he forced Gavin back into the patient bed. Gavin folded his arms angrily, huffing.

Dr. Andre nodded immediately. “Oh everything is just fine! Your tests came back negative for all the nasty stuff, and your body has developed like it should have. No allergies, thank goodness, but you are a little vitamin deficient, and if you’re not careful, you might face some health issues down the line because of that. That probably just stems from bad nutrition. I’d get some supplements, consult a dietician, and start eating better. After that, you’ll be fine,” he explained brightly.

"That’s great! Do you know a good dietician, or perhaps a good starting point?" Burnie asked.

The doctor nodded. “Naturally. I’ve got some pamphlets in my office, I’ll grab them for you. As for supplements, I’ll write down a list of my recommendations. You can pick them up at any pharmacy,” Dr. Andre explained.

As he shook Burnie’s hand and said a few parting words, the man exited the room quietly.

Burnie turned to Gavin. “Awesome! A clean bill of health is always a great thing to have!” he exclaimed, patting him on the back with a loud thump.

Chuckling nervously, Gavin nodded. “Yeah… Thanks,” he mumbled. Standing up, he stretched out into the air. “Why’d you care so much? I mean… I didn’t really want to come here…” he mumbled.

With a playful smile, he threw his arm around Gavin’s neck.

"Because you’re part of the company family now. So don’t even bother arguing with me anymore when it comes to your health or happiness, because I will father the fuck out of you!" Burnie exclaimed brightly.

+

Fresh from the local pharmacy, and seven gigantic vitamin pills later, Gavin and Burnie had managed to make it out to the local Italian joint that their company all agreed was the best in town. In a table off to the corner, the two sat in between a bottle of the house wine. Both Burnie and Gavin had already poured themselves a glassful.

Burnie, obsessed with his menu, was focusing intently on the words in front of him. “Hmm… I don’t know what to get. I love the shrimp pasta, but the Sophia Special is also about the most delicious thing in the whole world. What are you thinking about getting?” he asked.

Finally looking up, he glanced at Gavin. The lad wasn’t looking at his menu, and was nervously fidgeting with his hands on a salt shaker.

"Oh, uh… Whatever you get," Gavin mumbled back.

With a furrowed brow and glaring eyes, Burnie shot Gavin a placated glance. “Okay, seriously… Anytime we ever go anywhere, you always order what I get, and never what you actually want. What’s the deal?” he asked bluntly.

Sighing, Gavin shook his head. “I… I already told you when you took me home… I… I can’t read Burnie, you know that!” he shot back bitterly. His forehead started to twitch.

Burnie’s jaw dropped slightly. “You… You were really serious about that?! You really can’t read? How is it possible you got to twelve and never learned how to read?” Burnie asked, tilting his head confusedly.

Sighing, Gavin just slammed his fist down on the table. The man’s face was reddening. “I know my ABCs, and I know how to spell. I know how to add and subtract, multiply and divide, and I’m… I’m smart, but I… I just… I just can’t read! Ever since I was a little kid, it never once made sense to me! My mom would read me a storybook, and point to the words saying that they were “Cat” or “Dog”, but I never saw those words! I saw crazy languages!” he exclaimed. Immediately, he pulled open the menu and pointed to a line item. “Read this! Just read it, it looks like… I don’t know, freaking GERMAN or some shit!” he yelled.

Burnie looked at the menu, reading what Gavin had been talking about.

_Fried Veal & Pepper, served on a bed of bow-tie pasta and covered in marinara sauce._

"It doesn’t look like anything! NOTHING! It’s stupid, I’m stupid, reading is stupid!" Gavin said, clearly flustered. Grabbing at his wine glass, Gavin downed the beverage in one gulp.

A thought struck Burnie, and his eyes blew up like the fourth of July. He looked back up to Gavin, and made the lad put down the wine bottle as he poured himself another glass. Burnie pointed to the line once more. “Write that down for me. Exactly as it looks like. Do it now,” he said, grabbing a pen from his pocket and one of the restaurant’s paper napkins.

Annoyingly, Gavin began scribbling on the napkin. His script was neat, but Gavin’s writing speed was nonexistent. He slid the paper back to Burnie.

_Fri edvea l & pep erser vedon a bed of bo wtiw pas taand cov eredin marin ar arsausce._

Burnie shook his head, smiling softly.

Gavin, however, just looked away. “See? I’m an idiot. I can’t read anything that isn’t a short word or what a baby could read! Mom called me stupid all the time because I always made bad grades, and the teachers told me I just wasn’t trying hard enough!” Gavin barked back angrily, pouting.

"Then your mother and teachers failed you. You’re not stupid, THEY are," Burnie answered.

Looking up, Gavin turned back to Burnie. “Huh?” he replied, as his face softened considerably.

Slowly, Burnie cleared his throat and patted Gavin on the hand. “You have something that prevents you from reading like someone ordinary. It’s called dyslexia, and it’s a normal thing that kids all around the world get. It’s a neurological disorder, and I know plenty about it, my father and grandfather both had it. Actually, they swore I’d grow up to have it as well since it’s partially genetic, but I lucked out,” he said. He took a moment to sip water, and take a deep breath. “As a dyslexic, you basically can’t read words like an ordinary person can, and the words can look all spaced out wrong, words look like they’re spelled wrong, or sometimes the letters are all pushed together into one big blur that can’t be read. Looks to me like you’ve got the first one, like my father and grandfather had,” he explained, with a bright smile. “You’re not stupid, Gavin. You’ve just got a special challenge!” he exclaimed.

Gavin’s jaw dropped. He was completely silent as the waitress came back, gave them salads and a fresh basket of bread. Waiting patiently, Burnie kept eye contact as the words seemed to add up in the lad’s head.

“You mean… This is a… This is a thing!? An actual thing that people have?! I’m not just an idiot fuck up?! It wasn’t my fault!?” Gavin yelled, rather loudly.

Shaking his head, Burnie chuckled. “Absolutely not. Hell, if your school had caught it, you probably would have finished school like anyone else! I’m surprised your mother didn’t get you tested for special needs, it’s a common thing!” he offered immediately. Burnie then set his eye focused right into Gavin’s. “More importantly though, we can work on fixing this. Gavin, there are tutors that can teach you how to cope with this. I’ll find one and set you up with practice sessions you can have in my home office, and we’ll get you into a fast-track GED program that Geoff was talking about. Not only will that help you learn, get you a degree and some of your confidence back, but I get it as a tax write off as “employee training!” he exclaimed, offering his glass as a toast to the tax deduction system.

Gavin slinked back into his seat. His agape mouth slowly formed into a smile. “I… I’m not stupid? Wow…” he said, taking a moment to wipe his eyes.

“Of course you’re not stupid, you moron. Nobody could have lasted as long as you did if they were stupid! What you lack in academics, you MORE than make up for in common sense, reasoning, and survival skills. Gavin, I really think highly of you, I hope you know that. I wish I had half of your dedication and work ethic,” Burnie said.

The blue-haired waitress with a low-cropped top returned once more, holding out a pen and paper. “Are you two ready to order?” she asked politely.

Burnie smiled. “He’s not quite yet, but he will be soon! Until then, we’ll both take the portabello lasagna,” he said, handing the waitress both of their menus.

Gavin couldn’t help but smile.

+

The following day at work, Gavin was in a considerably brighter mood. Between having a completely healthy report, and the thought about having a reading tutor come in starting Saturday. It would take a few weeks, but he’d finally be able to get a handle on one of his oldest demons.

Flying on cloud nine, he didn’t even care that he’d been assigned to the marketing department. Moving boxes between warehouses and getting them ready to ship out to their online customers, while tedious, didn’t bother him in the slightest that day.

Though as he continued to hum, packing up several coffee mugs, the walkie talkie on his belt blared out a wave of static. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

 _"Interns, this is Gus. Hey, if you’re out and moving around, please keep an eye out for Geoff’s kid. He’s wandered off again somewhere in the warehouses, and Geoff’s freaking out. He’s a skinny little prick with blond hair, and is wearing a Grif T-shirt. Geoff’s about to go home, so get on it!,"_ the machine squawked.

Gavin dropped the mug he was packing into a box of peanuts. Without hesitation, he dashed out of the shipping department. Running through the front door, he wasted no time.

Inspecting each and every alleyway between the many studio warehouses Rooster Teeth owned, he kept up the pace. He checked out each trash can, dumpster, and behind the many cars that parked around the area.

Frustrated, he considered stealing Joel’s megaphone and taking the punishment that would come with stealing such a sacred artifact.

Though just as he was about to move back to steal said object, he heard a short burst of sobs. His ears twitched, and he immediately knew where it was coming from. Slapping himself on the face, he looked immediately up. Just as he thought, the fire escape ladder had been descended, and a pair of legs were hanging off the roof.

Quietly, Gavin started climbing up the ladder.

“GO AWAY! I DON’T WANT TO GO HOME!” the child screamed. Gavin felt a shoe hit him on the top of the head.

Ignoring the throbbing headache, Gavin finally reached Kid. With the only exit blocked, the child huffed angrily, folding his arms.

The boy seemed quite upset, with a red face and tear stains running down his face. Much like his father, he had striking angry features. Though unlike Geoff, Kid’s hair was light blond, and spiked up in a fauxhawk.

“Hey… Are you Kid? Your dad is looking for you!” Gavin said quietly.

Kid looked away, spitting off the roof. “I don’t care! I hate my dad!” he yelled.

Gavin cringed at hearing those words. “You do? Why? Geoff seems like a nice guy to me!” he retorted quietly.

“Because my dad is a big stinky butt-hole!” Kid exclaimed violently.

Gavin began kicking his feet back and forth off the roof. “So… Why is your dad a big stinky butt-hole?” he asked.

Kid huffed again. “Dad hates me! All he ever does is work all the time! He won’t come home and play games with me anymore!” he shouted.

Tilting his head, Gavin turned to look Kid in the eyes. “Isn’t your dad about to take off for a month so you guys can go on a vacation to Montana? I heard that was why he is working so much,” he asked.

“YEAH, but…” Kid said, crestfallen and frowning. “But… But we ALWAYS play games! I don’t like it when dad works late… It’s not fair,” he mumbled.

Slowly, Gavin flung himself backward, resting his back on the rooftop. “Hey, be glad your dad is there for you and works so hard to take a month off! I didn’t have a dad at all,” he said, as he held his hands behind his head to cushion them.

Kid turned around. “You don’t have a dad?!” he yelled, clearly taken aback by such a horrendous statement.

Gavin looked up into the sky. “Nope… And trust me, there are days when I wish I knew who my dad really was. I’d give anything to meet him… Actually, you know, I always had this dream when I was little of him showing up one day, picking me up from my evil mom, and taking me home. He’d be a nice guy, and we’d be in a nice big house with my own room. We’d laugh, talk, and do stuff that normal kids did. We’d go fishing, blow fireworks up in the street, and get in a big fight over sports. I still hope for that, I guess,” he explained. Quickly, he turned his head to Kid. “So… Be happy that you’ve got a dad like Geoff! I know it sucks that he works so hard, but it’ll get better. Just think about Montana and all the fun you’ll have there! Him working so hard is just for a little while,” he said, winking in the child’s direction.

Kid sighed. “Yeah… I guess…” he mumbled angrily, holding his head down in shame. Though his face glanced upwards quickly. “What happened to your dad?” Kid asked.

Gavin shrugged. “I don’t know. My mom didn’t like my real dad, so she left him. She never talked about him, and told me not to ever ask. Maybe one day I can find him…” he offered quietly.

“You know, Mr. Burnie does that! He’s got a lady friend who looks for people! Maybe you can ask her to help!” Kid said.

Nodding, Gavin slowly started to sit up. “Maybe! But hey, why don’t we get you back to your dad, I bet he’s worried sick!” he said, offering a hand to Kid.

“KADAN RAMSEY, WHERE ARE YOU?!” Geoff screamed.

Both Gavin and Kid flinched, knowing all too well the rage within the man was real.

They poked their heads over the edge of the fire escape, and watched from their scenic view.

“KADAN, WHERE ARE YOU? THIS IS NO TIME TO BE JOKING. COME ON, QUIT ACTING LIKE ME!” Geoff shrieked.

Gavin and Kid exchanged a quick glance.

“Uh… How about we stay up here a little longer?” Gavin asked quietly.

Kid nodded. “Last time he was this mad is when I put my pet snake Bebe in bed with him and mommy,” he said.

Gavin slowly scooted away from the mini-Geoff.


	5. Street Smarts

The first paycheck for a decade-long, jobless, homeless youth was a new and exciting experience. From the moment Gus handed him his paper check, the lad’s fingers tingled in anticipation of his first coming “fortune” and the great things he could purchase with it.

Cashing the check at the local bank and feeling as the several hundred dollars were counted out into his hand, Gavin nearly fainted from the experience alone.

Between him, Dan, and Blaine, the three men felt a renewed sense of power for the first time since moving into the exciting world of Austin as they stepped out of the bank.

On their way to the local mall, all three men (as usual) were in the middle of a heated debate, not noticing the less than reputable neighborhood they were entering.

"Why the HELL would you cash that much money? You are both so STUPID, you need to get a bank account and a debit card! What happens if you lose all your money? You’re fucked!" Blaine shouted, flipping his debit card nimbly through his fingers.

Dan rolled his eyes. “I’m trained in 340 different ways to kill someone, five of which involve a piece of dried spaghetti and a thong. Bring the muggers on, I’ll fuck them up,” he replied. As if to bring the point home, he flexed his muscles.

"Oh yeah? Well what about Gavin here? The skinny prick can get pushed over by a running leaf!" Blaine said, signaling over to the lad in question.

Gavin furrowed his eyebrows. “Tell me how you REALLY feel, why don’t you?” he retorted.

Sighing, Blaine began walking backwards in front of the two men. “No offense Gavin, I’m just saying… Well fuck, you’re not really all that strong! Why don’t you come to the gym with us sometime? I’ll show you what it means to be a real man!” he offered.

"Blaine…" Gavin said, stopping in his tracks.

"No, I’m serious, it’s time we get you into shape! If they’re going to have you on Achievement Hunter stuff, you need to look AWESOME! Besides, if you fuck up with Michael, you need to know how to protect yourself," he said.

"BLAINE, STOP!" Gavin yelled.

Before he had a chance to stop, Blaine knocked into someone on the street. Gavin moved backwards, kneeling down to his feet. In a split second, he retrieved a knife from his sock, and hid it behind his back as he stood back up.  His feed and hands twitched, ready to leap at the first opening.

"Oh I’m so sorry! I didn’t…" Blaine muttered, trailing off as he got a good look at the man he’d run into.

A long tan trench coat, a rough pair of denim jeans, and a black ski mask covering his face. The man’s hand was in his pockets, and a long rod was sticking out of it. It had the appearance of a gun’s barrel.

"Stay quiet. Give me all your money, jewelry and phones. Don’t say a word, and I don’t shoot," he whispered menacingly.

Blaine and Dan gulped. Both reached into their pockets immediately and retrieved their wallets.

"D… Don’t shoot! We’re doing what you’re asking for!" Blaine explained. He dropped his wallet on the ground, which the mugger picked up.

Dan was less than enthused. “Fucking….” he mumbled under his breath, doing the same as Blaine had, and dropping his wallet full of cash on the ground.

After grabbing Dan’s wallet, the mugger turned to Gavin.

"You too! Come on! Do what I say, or I shoot these two!" he barked. He pointed the gun in Gavin’s direction, and the outline of the object in the man’s pocket became more obvious.

Sighing, Gavin slid his switchblade into his back pocket. His face relaxed.

"I’m not giving you anything," he replied.

"GAVIN! JUST GIVE HIM YOUR WALLET! IT’S NOT WORTH YOUR LIFE!" Blaine yelled.

“Relax Blaine, this guy’s not going to shoot us. Now come on, fess up. I’m not going to put up with this…” Gavin said, stepping forward.

Blaine shrieked. “GAVIN, STOP, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” he yelled.

In a swift movement, Gavin grabbed the mugger’s hand.

“Thought so,” Gavin mumbled, pulling the man’s hand out of his pocket. Instead of a gun, the man was holding a very intimidating looking banana. “Next time you try to mug someone, find something that looks more like a gun. Hell, a water pistol would be better!” he shouted.

Dan and Blaine’s eyes narrow. The both stepped forward and took back their wallets from the mugger.

“I ought to knock your block off all the way to the police station! Fucking asshole!” Blaine yelled, flexing his muscles.

“Son of a fucking bitch,” Dan mumbled, putting away his wallet.

Both Dan and Blaine moved forward, fists and biceps bulging.

Gavin blocked them both from advancing. “Guys, back off for a second. I’ll deal with this,” he said.

As intimidating as a kitten, Gavin took the mugger in hand and drug him into the nearby alleyway. “STAY THERE,” Gavin ordered, pointing to the lamppost on the middle of the street.

Dan and Blaine exchange an odd glance. Not about to be ordered around by someone half their size, they both followed after Gavin. Stopping just short of the alley Gavin had snuck into, they peeked around the corner, keeping their body out of sight.

Whatever sight they had been expecting wasn’t in the least what was happening.

The man was sobbing in Gavin’s arms, after his face mask had been removed. Instead of the terrifying giant they’d thought he was, he was actually just a very pale man in his forties with a balding patch of hair. Gavin was letting the mugger use his shoulder as a crying point, and was patting him on the back.

“It’s gonna be okay… Come on… What’s your name? Let it out, it will be alright,” Gavin asked.

Sniffing, the man tried to control his shaking voice. “Ted… Ted Keeling,” he answered.

Slowly, Ted backed off as he attempted to console himself. Gavin and Ted sat on the top of a wooden palette that lined the alley corner.

“How’d you end up like this Ted? You don’t look like that bad of a guy. Hell anyone who tries to rob someone with a banana can’t be all that bad,” Gavin said, putting his hand on the man’s leg.

The man shook his head. “My boss fired me last month… I… I found out that he was cheating on the company’s tax return, so I called him out on it! He fired me, blackballed me, and made sure I’d never find a job in accounting ever again in this city! With no money and no jobs out there, I just… I just didn’t have anything to live off of! They repossessed my house, my wife left me, the kids don’t want anything to do with me, and my family cut me off. I… I don’t know what to do anymore! My savings are gone, and I… I just… Dammit,” Ted explained. He threw his head into his lap, hiding his tears.

"Do you have a degree?" Gavin asked immediately.

Ted looked up. “What?” he mumbled, sputtering on his words.

Gavin just smiled. “Do you have a degree? Like high school or college?” he asked.

Nodding, Ted wiped away his tears. “Y.. Yeah. I’ve got a degree in business administration,” he said.

"You’ll be fine then!" Gavin exclaimed. He took Ted’s hands and held them tightly. "Listen very carefully. What you’re going through is something that just happens to people! You’ve lost your footing, but that’s no reason to give up!" he said. Slowly, Gavin reached into his pocket and retrieved a simple black wallet he’d purchased from Wal-Mart after his first paycheck came through. He wasn’t comfortable with banks, so the several hundred dollars were packed away under his mattress, as well as in his wallet. Gavin took two hundreds and palmed it in the man’s hand.

"Listen carefully. Take that, and go get a hotel room, on me. The Plaza Motel has a $50 value week for homeless, ask for Madeline and she’ll get you set up. Get showered and cleaned up, they have a free on-site laundromat for your clothes. Madeline can let you borrow some company uniforms to wear around the motel. Hell, she might have some odd jobs for you to do for a little spending cash," he said, reaching into his other pocket.

Dan tilted curiously, making out that Gavin had about fifty business cards on him. He handed one of them to Ted.

"This is a card for Sister Katherine at Kingstown Missionary on fifth street. Tell her that Gavin sent you, and explain about your qualifications and how you got blackballed. She has friends in employment agencies all around the city and can probably find you a job in a week. Might not be glamorous like before, but hell a job is better than no job," he said.

Ted took the card with shaking hands. He looked at the money, then back at the card, and finally back to Gavin.

The lad tried to keep a positive smile. “You’re gonna be alright. It’s tough right now, but you’re going to be alright. You’re smart enough to hold down a job, but you’ve got to be strong right now. Get your life back on track, and you can work on your family later!” Gavin said, standing up and patting the man on the back.

Ted stood up with Gavin and hugged the lad tightly. “Thank you… Thank you so much! I.. I don’t know what to say!” he said, starting to cry once more.

Smiling, Gavin released the man. “Say you’ll take my advice and that after you get back on your feet, you pay it forward,” he said.

As both men began to turn back to the main street, Dan and Blaine ducked away from peeking and dashed away to the lamppost, as they’d promised. After a few parting words, Gavin and Ted took opposite routes.

"Thanks guys, sorry about all that!" Gavin said as he rejoined his intern friends. He walked past them, as if nothing had happened.

"Whoa, GAVIN, wait up a minute! What the FUCK was all of that?!" Blaine shouted, running after Gavin.

Dan remained at the lamppost. He stared at Gavin, who was not only ignoring Blaine’s many questions, but seemed to have a much more powerful stride. Almost proud in nature.

++++++++

After the disaster with the “mugger”, Burnie was furious with Gavin on two basic levels. The first being that he “fought” someone with a gun. The second being that he would have been more than happy to repay Gavin’s paycheck, and to NEVER do anything like that again in the future.

Though it had also brought out a new company policy. Any employees going out on errands or lunch in sketchy areas must have at least two escorts.

So that was how Gavin managed to find himself with Caiti Pattillo and Lindsay Jones. For whatever reason, everyone wanted HIM as their escort.

Caiti Pattillo, a short and thin woman in her early thirties, had long brown hair, a dazzling smile and thick-rimmed glasses in a yin-yang design. She was Jack’s wife and had recently become a citizen of the United States, having moved from Australia. She was a sweet woman that Gavin admired a lot. Between the work she did for the animals of Austin, animal rights in general, and for all of the great charitable works, she was a rare breed of human.

Beside her was Lindsay Jones, Michael’s wife. Though she was a remarkable woman as well. The sole female member of Achievement Hunter, Lindsay was tough as nails and took zero shit from anyone. Like Michael, they both had powerful personalities and strong features that couldn’t be broken by anyone. Though unlike Michael, Lindsay seemed to be in a far better mood 90% of the time. Which likely was the reason why everyone wanted to be her friend. Though by “everyone”, Gavin actually meant cats.

"Michael is going to be pissed off. You’ve already got three cats," Gavin muttered, signaling to a grey kitten in Lindsay’s arms.

"Shut up and just carry our crap! Michael can’t say no to Mr. Mittens!" Lindsay said, nuzzling the cat in her hands.

Caiti sighed. “Remind me to put in my ear buds when we get back Gavin, I do not want to hear this argument!” she said.

"Yeah…  Poor Michael is gonna get his ass handed to him again," Gavin said, as he lowered his head.

Carrying the bags of paint they’d purchased at the local hardware store with Caiti, the two stood a good distance away from Lindsay. The second Michael saw the cat, all hell would break loose.

Just as they passed an intersection, the three coworkers passed a nearby dumpster. Sitting next to it was an older man, in tattered clothing. His hair was a mess, oily to the point of dripping. A sign was sat next to him.

_"Homeless Veteran, please help. God bless"_

Caiti stopped. “Oh you poor man! Here…” she whispered, digging into her pockets. She produced a ten dollar bill and pressed it into the man’s hand.

Skeptically, Gavin started to eye the man carefully, looking him over as if he were a piece of meat to a starving animal.   No detail went un-evaluated.

"God bless you…" the man said, bowing his head respectfully.

Putting her kitten in her left hand, Lindsay also quickly began to dig in her pockets. “It’s just terrible how they treat our veterans! Here, take this and get a nice meal on me and Mr. Jones!” she explained.

The veteran took the bill and added it to Caiti’s. He put both in his pocket.

"God bless you as well," the man explained.

Lindsay, Caiti and the veteran all looked up at Gavin expectantly.

"Gavin!" Lindsay mumbled quietly, nudging him in the side, as if to hint to him.

"Please sir… I’ve fallen on such hard times… Even a little would be…" the veteran said, holding his hand out.

Gavin cut him off, grabbing the man’s hand as hard as he could.

"You are so full of shit! You’re no vet, you’re a fraud!" Gavin screeched loud enough so that everyone could hear.

Caiti immediately tried to interrupt Gavin.

"What are you doing? Stop it, you’re making a scene in front of this poor man!" she exclaimed.

Gavin shrugged her off.

“I know what I’m talking about here. Look, here is an itemized list of reasons why this man is not homeless, and is actually a scammer just trying to get your money. Number one!” Gavin yelled, showing the man’s fingertips to Caiti and Lindsay. They were immaculate, even polished. “No homeless person would EVER have nails like this. When you’re real hungry, nails are a great snack. Hell, even if you don’t bite on them, they’d be dirty from rooting around in the garbage or sleeping on the dirty sidewalks,” he explained bitterly.

Lindsay and Caiti’s jaw dropped mildly.

“Number TWO, let’s move to his shoes,” Gavin said, releasing the man’s hand and taking his shoe. He lifted the man’s foot into the air like he were examining it. “Tennis shoes. Okay, so not a dead giveaway right away, but let’s look at the fabric. Are they caked in mud? Are they even the least bit dirty? NO! They look like they’re fresh out of a store!” he said angrily.

The man took his foot back, immediately scooting away from Gavin and the girls.

“HEY! How dare you talk to me like that! I served in the army infantry when we hit Iraq! So what if I’m a little clean?!” the homeless man yelled. His face was pouting, and he held up his hands like fists.

Gavin laughed. “Oh really? Who was your petty officer assigned to your station? Name three of your army buddies. Where were you stationed? How about your army identification number? Name some army regulations for us? If you take longer than a minute to answer any of those, you’re lying,” he replied.

The man’s mouth went agape. Stunned, no words came out of his mouth.

"I… I uh… I mean.. My petty officer was.. He was.. He was HANK!…" he mumbled.

Gavin scoffed. “Trick question. The army doesn’t have petty officers, that’s the NAVY,” he replied.

"Shit…" the man mumbled, pulling off a wig. Underneath the oily hair, a clean cut man appeared.  With his hair gone, they could all make out a fraternity tattoo on his exposed shoulder. "Listen, just keep this quiet, you can have your money back!" he answered, losing the act completely. Instead of the poor pitiful voice, his boomed with a thick southern accent.

Slowly, Gavin reached into the man’s pocket, pinning the man’s head against the wall to keep him still. Retrieving not only Caiti and Lindsay’s money, he also took the rest of the man’s “hard-earned” wages. Several twenties, many tens, and dozens of various bills. It was clearly several hundred dollars, if not bordering on a thousand. “You’re an ass, you’re a scammer, and I bet you actually have a house AND a job. If I ever see you doing this again, I’ll call the cops and have you arrested,” he scathed.

Lindsay and Caiti stepped back. Gavin’s harsh voice sent a chill down their spine. His powerful grip on the scammer’s head was almost to the point of squeezing a melon.

"You should be fucking ashamed of yourself. There are people who NEED this money, who would live for MONTHS on this money! And… And I’m going to make sure they get it!  If you even TRY to get it back, I will END you” Gavin yelled, spitting on the man’s face.

He turned around, leaving Caiti and Lindsay behind. Gavin’s face was fuming, only short of steam to make the illusion complete of a tea kettle. Before they rejoined him, both women slapped the man on the face as hard as they could.

As they caught back up to Gavin, Lindsay shook her head. “I don’t believe that! Why would someone do that?!” she yelled.

Sighing, Gavin pocketed the money into his survival vest’s inside pocket. “It’s an easy way to make a buck. I mean, it’s human nature to want to help people in need. They prey on the kindness of others to supplement their own income. Usually, it’s because they’ve spent more than they can afford, or because they’re just the scum of the earth that wants to buy a new TV,” he said. Turning to the two women, he tried to smile again. “So would you guys care if I stop off at Kingston Missionary? Sister Katherine is a great woman who could give this out to people who need it. She helped me out a lot when I-” he said, cutting himself off immediately. “I uh.. She helped me out a lot when I had friend who was in a bad spot! Katherine made him a survival kit that got him through one of the coldest winters in Texas,” he said, a little less than convincingly.

“Oh of course!” Caiti said, grabbing Gavin’s left arm.

Lindsay grabbed the right arm. “Awww, you are so sweet! You know what, I like you! I think Michael and I should keep you ourselves!” she said, giggling playfully.

 

+++++

 

After another scolding from Burnie about making a fuss in the middle of a back street with someone double his size, Gavin returned to his work after a trip to Kingstown Missionary and making sure Caiti and Lindsay got back safely.

Though almost immediately as he got back to stuffing packages to ship out to their customers, he heard a high pitched scream.

Gavin turned to Caiti, who had also heard the scream.

"Some girl’s in trouble!" Caiti shouted.

Before they had a chance to investigate, the door to the shipping warehouse burst open. Standing there was Blaine, who was running towards Gavin at mach speeds.

"GAVIN, GAVIN, GAVIN! PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE THE KEY TO THE PROP STOREHOUSE! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS JERSEY SHORE TELL ME YOU HAVE THE KEY TO THE PROP STOREHOUSE!" Blaine shouted, collapsing on his hands and knees, begging on the floor next to Gavin.

Gavin shook his head. “Sorry. All I’ve got is the keys to the Achievement Hunter and shipping warehouses. Did you lose your key again?” he asked.

Nodding, Blaine started sobbing over the floor.

"Gus is going to murder you. How many does that make now? Three?" Gavin asked.

Shooting up off the floor, Blaine grabbed at Gavin’s hand. “Come on, we’ll use your head and break it down!” he shouted.

Gavin held up his hand. “Interesting proposal. Here’s my counter offer,” he said, attempting to run out of Blaine’s grip. Though like a small puppy in a cartoon with a cutaway gag, Gavin was unable to get anywhere from the more powerful man’s grasp.

"Come on! HELP ME! I don’t want to be murdered by Gus and chopped up into Chili like Kerry was!" Blaine shouted.

"Kerry was what?" Caiti asked, covering her mouth in abject horror.

Dragged away like a screaming child, Gavin was hauled to the other side of the facility. He was plopped next to the prop warehouse’s locked door, next to Dan.

"He pull you here too?" Dan asked.

Gavin nodded. “Let’s ditch him. You get his top half, I’ll get his legs!” he whispered.

"COME ON GUYS! PLEASE!" Blaine shouted once more.

The macho man was reduced to a puddle in front of the door, reduced to begging.

“Oh bloody hell, MOVE OVER,” Gavin exclaimed.

Pushing Blaine out of the way, he crouched down to the door knob’s level. Reaching into his bright pink and green socks, he retrieved a small tool set that consisted of two thin metal rods. He looked inside the lock, and began tinkering around with the metallic rods.

Blaine covered his mouth. “Holy shit… Is that a lock pick? Are you actually trying to pick the lock?!” he asked.

Gavin nodded. “Trick I picked up a long time ago from an out of work locksmith. I gave him a sandwich, he taught me how to break into stuff. You’d be surprised how easy this is,” he remarked. Gavin huffed under his breath, continuing his focus.

“Is this illegal?” Dan asked, looking around the corner as a makeshift watch out.

“Not really. I mean, we work for them, right? ” Gavin replied.

With one final click, the lock gave way.

"Good to know our security sucks and can be picked by a twenty-year old. Not a chance any of our fans could break in, NEVER," Dan muttered sarcastically under his breath.

“There we go!” Gavin said with a victorious grin. He pulled on the latch, and the door gave way.

Blaine hugged Gavin around the neck. Gavin’s face began turning blue from the man’s strength.

“OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! NOW I CAN LIVE!” Blaine shouted. He released Gavin and made his way into the stock room to retrieve the props.

Nodding, Gavin turned around and made his way back where he had come from.

“Hey Gav…” Dan whispered.

Gavin stopped.

Slowly, Dan made his way to Gavin’s side. “You know… You’ve got a shitload of skills that no normal person should have. From noticing that bum that tried to scam Lindsay and Caiti, to giving that homeless mugger advice, knowing what is and is not a gun, your way with the streets and just everything about you… Hell, I was in the army and I don’t know that shit!” he said. His face was crossed, much like his arms.

Chuckling, Gavin shook his head. “I lived an interesting life,” he said, not really answering the question.

"Oh really?" Dan said, following Gavin as he started to make his way back to the shipping warehouse.

Gavin nodded. “Maybe I’ll give you the full story some time. Just not right now,” he replied.

Dan smiled.  ”I’d like to hear about it…” he said under his breath.

+++++

After a long week of work, stressful street outings, and several dozen problems at work, Gavin was happy to finally crash Friday night on the living room couch.

Stretching out, he sighed deeply.

"Long week for you too?" Burnie asked, plopping down on his usual recliner. In his lap, he was popping large strawberries in his mouth.

Gavin nodded. He crawled on the far side of the couch, stealing some of the strawberries for himself and popping them in his own mouth.

"Nah, it was cool. Just tired.  After Gus found out I picked the lock, he made take out the trash for every building," he replied happily.

"Good, don’t do that again!" Burnie retorted, kicking Gavin away playfully as he tried to steal another handful of their favorite strawberries. "So what are your plans for the weekend?  Or did Gus make you work a weekend shift?" he asked.

Gavin crawled back to the other end of the couch, splaying out his limbs over it like a lazy starfish. “I’m going swimming tomorrow with Michael and Lindsay. Then Sunday, I’m going shopping with Dan. How about you?” he asked.

Sighing, Burnie put down the bowl. “Time for my monthly “beg fest” with my son’s mother. Every month, I offer her money or whatever she wants in exchange for my son’s name, or access to his birth records. If I had either of those, I could find him. Though if that doesn’t work, I’ll go to the PI and see if they’ve had any advances in my case. Not that I expect anything, but.. Well, you never know,” he explained.

Gavin frowned. “Oh… I’m sorry,” he whispered quietly. After several moments of awkward silence, he looked back in Burnie’s direction. He tried to put on a gentle smile. “SAY, how about this? I’ll go with you, and I’ll SEDUCE the information out of her! Like Geoff said on the RT Recap, nobody can resist the sexy twink that is Gavin Free!” he said, winking and thrusting comically from the couch.

Burnie snorted loudly, nearly choking on his strawberry he was eating. “Oh my god… NEVER do that on my furniture again,” he said, laughing. He shook his head quickly. “Thanks Gavin, but no thanks. My ex-lover is hard to get along with, and if I bring you around, I don’t think she’d have much to say to you,” Burnie explained.

Gavin kept eye contact with Burnie. “You sure? Kidding aside, I’d love to help you find your son. After all, I owe you a big one,” he said.

"OH! That reminds me!" Burnie exclaimed. Hopping out of his chair, he moved to the backpack he carried with him between the office and home. Inside of it, he pulled out a large stack of papers and a thin vial. "Kadan told me that you’d like to find your father, and I’d like to help facilitate that," he said.

Gavin sat up on the couch, taking the paperwork from Burnie.

"What’s all this?" he asked.

Burnie plopped back down on the couch next to Gavin. “The paperwork are legal documents about the “Finding Ourselves” project. Basically, it lets them test your DNA and match it against their database, or match it against someone else looking for your DNA. This is a huge project that’s really getting popular, where kids try to find their birth-parents or vice versa. I’ve been waiting for years to find a match with my DNA, but more and more people join in every year, so I always have hope,” he explained.

Gavin gulped. “Oh… You mean, if my dad is in the system, they’d tell me who he is?” he asked.

"Not quite," Burnie replied. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "First, they tell you that you have a match. Then you have to write a letter to your biological parent/child, and wait for a response. If, and only if, both parties want to meet will the organization set up a meeting. It’s a long process, but hell, it’s… It’s hope at least," Burnie said sadly.

Looking back at the papers, Gavin sighed. “What if he doesn’t want to meet me? I mean, my mom said he didn’t want me… That would suck to know he exists and then never get to meet him,” he said sadly.

Burnie slapped Gavin on the back. “Trust me kid… People change with enough time. When I had my son, I certainly didn’t want him. Look at me now though? There’s nothing more I want in my life than to find him again. Hell, if I found him, I’d bring him home and never let him go again. I’d give him everything in the world!” he announced.

A small smirk found its way to Gavin’s lips. “Well… Well, I guess it’s worth a bloody shot!” he said, flipping the pages to the contract and signing his name where Burnie had already highlighted.


	6. Before We Met : 1/2

(Three Years Earlier)

"GET HIM! GET JONES, DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY!" a thick jersey accent shouted.

In the underbelly of New Jersey, on a side street that no citizen would ever think or WANT to take, the hustle of a dozen or more thugs echoed in the night. The moon was dark, providing no light to the world below. At three in the morning, nothing was visible, save for the flashlights hopping up and down from the many thugs running in and out of the many alleys.

A tall woman, towering over her peers in height and superiority, threw her cigarette down on the ground and stomped it angrily. The embers lit her bright pink hair in a flash of light in the dark. “That bastard Jones has left The Family. Our rules CLEARLY state that we are blood in and blood out. Do not let him get away and live, or I will make sure TEN of you dies in his place!” she shouted bitterly.

The men surrounding her scattered instantly, with a renewed pace and pale faces.

Far above the woman, huddled on the tail end of a fire escape, was a mass of black clothes with a hood pulled up over the face. The mass was breathing in and out heavily, as the cold of winter gave his breath a solid form.

"I’m dead. I’m so fucking dead," the man thought to himself.

Keeping as quiet as possible, the man removed his hood.

Michael Jones’ face was barely visible. Blood was trickling down his face, pouring out from a large gash on his forehead. His eye was bruised, lip busted, and lower jaw seemed just ever so slightly out of place.

"Fuuuuck" Michael thought to himself, rolling up his sleeve. Knife cuts that revealed bone were still bleeding, despite pressure and the cover of his hoodie’s sleeve.

Looking around, Michael tried to spot the world below him. His old boss, Liara, was still there. He couldn’t move until she left. Though if she didn’t move soon, he’d bleed out or pass out. Either or, he’d be dead by morning.

"Go away, go away, go away, I’m not here anymore!" Michael thought loudly in his mind.

Liara took another long puff of her cigarette. She blew out a perfect ring.

"Ms… Ms. Liara?" a shaking youth asked.

Michael watched as Liara turned to the boy. She had the same smile she used when she murdered someone.

"Yes? Have we found Jones? I know you wouldn’t bother me unless you found him," she said under her breath.

The youth shook his head. “N.. No Ms. Liara. I just… I just wondered if it’s worth it? Jones was the best of us and he… He made us a lot of money, so maybe we could-“

In an instant, Liara pulled out a pistol and shoved it in the boy’s open face. She pulled the trigger without thinking, and Michael turned away before he could see the results of her action.

"This is what happens when you question me.  Now…  What a mess. Clean that shit up," Liara said, as she began walking away from the crowd of terrified followers. The sound of her high heels against the pavement was like thunder clapping in the distance.

Michael groaned. He had to watch for hours as the people he’d once known as friends cleaned up another one of his friends. Pressing his hands tightly against his arm’s open wounds, he tried everything in his power to stop the bleeding from getting any worse. Liara’s cuts, however, were deep and needed medical attention. She had cut to kill.

After what seemed like an eternity, the alleyway was finally clear. Reluctantly, Michael slowly made his way down the fire escape with his one good arm. On the last jump, he landed on a trash bag for an easier fall. However, even the easiest fall still came with an agonizing crack of his leg.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCkkkkk" Michael said, holding his breath as he quickly realized that he’d broken his ankle.

Attempting to get to his feet, Michael immediately fell over once more. He landed face first in a pool of blood.

Michael stayed there.

He couldn’t move.

The blood kept flowing from his arms, adding to the ever-growing pool underneath him.

His leg ached, and the feeling started melting away from him.

Michael’s eyes grew tired, flickering in and out of consciousness.

"Get up," Michael ordered himself.

His body didn’t respond.

"I said get up," Michael replied. His tone wasn’t as authoritative.

Tears rolled down his face. “Get up… Just please… Get up… We… We were gonna get out of this shit, remember?” Michael said, as his voice began blubbering.

"Get up Michael Jones. Just… Just get up. Please. PLEASE get up!" Michael said to himself, begging.

As he sobbed, the darkness around him began to draw more around him. His legs were no longer a part of his body. His arm was cold.

"G… Ge… Get… U-" he tried to order himself one last time as the world around him finally ceased to exist.

+

Cool air blew against Michael’s forehead.

A wet sensation was covering his arm.

Tight bandages were wrapped around his ankle.

Warmth was slowly radiating out from his chest.

Michael finally managed to open his eyes. A bright white light blinded him.

"Am… Am I in heaven?" Michael asked himself.

A deep chuckle to his side boomed.

"Not quite, though it’s heaven compared to where you were!" a man answered.

As the world began to focus, Michael could just barely make out a blur of a man beside him.

"Ah, I forgot. Here, your glasses," the man said.

The world came into clear focus as his glasses were returned to his eyes. In front of him, a bear of a man was before him.

"I’m Burnie, nice to finally see you awake. I was worried you’d never wake up again," he said with a pleasant smile.

Taking in his surroundings, Michael knew two things right off the bat. One, he wasn’t in heaven, and two, he was in probably the nicest hotel room he’d ever seen in his life.

"W… Where am I?" Michael mumbled, trying to lean up.

Burnie stopped him immediately. “Don’t! You’re still injured, try not to move or you’ll break your stitches,” he explained.

Looking down at his body, Michael assumed he’d become a mummy. His arm was bandaged and bloody, wrapped in wet rags. The ankle he’d sprained in the fall was wrapped around as tightly as possible, and elevated by a makeshift sling. He felt a cool rag on his forehead.

As he took in his condition Michael laid his head quickly down on the pillow.

"You’re lucky to be alive. The doctor I called said that if you’d stayed like that for much longer, you would have bled out. What happened to you?" Burnie asked.

Michael shut his eyes. “Long story… You probably don’t want to know,” he said.

"I would," Burnie replied.

Shifting his head, Michael turned around to his “friend”. “I’m Michael Jones. I was a gang banger in Liara’s crew since I was a teen. I fucked up and thought I could actually leave this life,” he said, laughing loudly. “You don’t leave this life… Fuck… Fuck… Fucking fuck… I’m so stupid,” he said, rubbing his forehead with the one good arm he had.

"What life?" Burnie asked quietly.

Michael shut his eyes again. “Well let’s see. A week ago, my assignment was to hit up a gas station and rob it. My reward? I got to sleep on the good blanket in the abandoned building we stay at. Months ago, I actually mugged an old lady tourist who was stupid enough to have a thin-strapped purse. Oh, and you’ll love this one, I actually had the nerve to pull a knife on some terrified high schooler who wet their pants! HA. Lovely life, ain’t it?” he asked sarcastically.

The older man just smiled. “You wanted to leave though. Why?” Burnie asked.

Shrugging, Michael looked away. “I dunno. It sucked, I didn’t like it. Money was bad, and I don’t like hurting people. I did what I did because it’s what I thought I had to do in order to survive. I guess… I guess I thought I could do better. Not that it matters anymore. I’m fucked now. Liara will find me eventually, and that will be the end of my life,” he said quietly.

"It doesn’t have to be that way if you don’t want it to be," Burnie retorted.

Michael shot his eyes open.

"What did you just say?" Michael asked.

Chuckling, he watched as Burnie stood up from his chair and made his way to the nearby mini-fridge. He pulled out two cold beers. “I’m Burnie Burns, and I’m a director for a company called Rooster Teeth in Austin, Texas. If you really want to change your life and get out of this city, I’ll give you a job and a place to stay. Now, it won’t be glorious work at first, but it would pay better than minimum wage or at a fast food joint. My flight leaves the day after tomorrow, so you should have time to at least moderately recover,” he said, handing Michael one of the beers.

Michael took it, but returned the favor with a bewildered expression.

"The fuck you are," Michael said, clearly bewildered by the statement.

"Yep. The fuck I am! I’m serious!" Burnie said, popping the top of the can for Michael.

He sipped the cold beverage slowly. Michael eyed Burnie, watching his every move.

"Why are you being so nice? Nobody’s this nice. Not even Jesus was this nice," Michael replied.

Looking down at his own can, Burnie popped his top. “It’s the Texas spirit!” he replied, with a bland smile.

"Liar," Michael shot back immediately.

Burnie glanced back to Michael. “Huh?” he said.

Rolling his eyes, Michael took another long drink. “I can tell when people are lying. Always have, always will. You’re full of shit,” he replied.

"Lovely skill to have," Burnie said, shaking his head. "Alright then… The truth is… You remind me of my son. I mean, if I actually knew my son. He’s out in the streets somewhere, needing my help, and I… I can’t find him," he mumbled.

Michael glared right into Burnie’s eyes.

"Huh… That’s the truth huh?" Michael replied.

Burnie nodded slowly. “Yeah. I saw you in that gutter, bleeding, and I just… I saw my son in your face, and I… I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you. So… Do you think you can let me help you?” he asked. Laughing, he took another long gulp of his beer. “I know this is crazy… Believe me, I do. I’m bringing a complete stranger into my house from a completely different state, but I… Ha. I want to do this.,” he said.

Taking a moment to pause, Michael laughed.

"Hey, I just met you… And this is crazy… But take my ass home, one more drink maybe!" Michael replied with a smug grin, shaking his empty can.

+

(Present Day)

Outside in the pool of the Jones’ apartment, Gavin and Michael were laying out on plastic rafts. The sun was beating down on them in the middle of the hot summer day, but the cool water kept splashing over them as Lindsay and Jack kept having cannonball contests on the other end of the pool.

"So that’s what happened? Jesus… I thought I had it bad…" Gavin said, having finished hearing Michael’s long story.

His friend shrugged. “Yeah, but I didn’t stay as long as you did in that shit. You did it since you were twelve, I did it for three years after I turned sixteen. I CHOSE to be like that, you were thrown into it. A whole lot different. Sure, I nearly died, and would be dead if Burnie didn’t save me, but hey, everything’s cool now!” Michael replied.

Gavin sipped his beer, sticking one of his feet into the pool’s cool water. “Whatever happened to that Liara woman? You ever afraid that she might come back after you?” he asked.

Snorting, Michael shook his head. “Liara pissed off her gang too much. After she killed my buddy, they revolted when she threatened to kill ten people after I got away. She got shot three hundred seventy five times, and had NO witnesses in the public park. Even the police in the area applauded. Her gang disbanded after that, and now they started a “street saver” program for the youth with the local PD. I send them a check every couple of months so they can buy playground equipment or shit for the kiddies,” he said happily.

Gavin slowly slipped off his raft, letting his body sink into the water. He held onto the side, still staring at Michael. “So… What about Ray? Was his anything like that? I mean, violent and shit?” he asked.

Michael scoffed. “Not as bad, but… Well, it wasn’t pleasant, I can definitely say that,” he said. Slipping of his raft as well, he sunk in the water next to Gavin. “But that’s HIS story to tell, ask him about it sometime!” he spat out. Dipping completely under the water, he began swimming after his wife.

Sighing, Gavin laid his head on the raft and used it as a pillow.

"It’s… Gavin, right?" a sweet voice asked.

Looking up from his makeshift pillow, Gavin saw the waitress from the diner standing just above him. In a bright red floral bikini, complete with flower in her ear, she as a gorgeous sight to behold.

"Hey Meg… What are you doing here?" Gavin asked.

Smiling, she dipped both of her feet into the pool next to him. “Oh, I live here! Apartment 493,” she said. Plunging into the pool, she swam over to Gavin’s raft and held onto the other side. “So Gavin… Are you doing anything next weekend?” she asked.

Gavin’s heart thumped loudly in his chest. “I uh… No. Not yet anyway,” he replied.

"Great! If you’re not busy, would you like to be my date to the Summer Ball? My folks are FORCING me to go, and I’d like to not be hit on by all the creepy guys or girls that stalk the place," Meg asked politely.

Feeling Meg’s leg gently brush up and down his own, Gavin shivered.

"M… ME?!" Gavin said, gulping as he blushed.

Meg nodded. “Yeah. You seem like a sweet guy, Michael and Ray say you’re single, Lindsay says you’re a smart guy, and you have the cutest butt between here and Mt. Fuji,” she said, winking in his direction.

"Ahhhh.. ahhhh…" Gavin said, unable to form a sentence. His face was more or less a tomato.

"Is that a yes? I think you’d just about be the sweetest thing in a tuxedo. Michael and Lindsay are going too, you know. They say it’s the social event of the season!" Meg explained.

Gavin slowly fell into the water, until just his nose was sticking out of it. Bubbles rose to the surface and an incomprehensible answer came from his mouth.

"Gavin, sweetie, I don’t speak fish," Meg replied.

"HE SAID YES, FOR FUCK’S SAKE YES!" Jack, Michael, Lindsay, Ray and Caiti screamed in unison.

He submerged himself completely under the water. Had it been a cartoon, the water would have started to boil around him.

"Oh good! I’ll pick you up at seven on Saturday night. Dress formal, and ask Michael for help!" Meg said to Gavin as he finally came above water again. She kissed him on the forehead. "In the meantime, would you like to go to dinner tonight? There’s a great sushi place just down the street," Meg exclaimed happily.

Michael popped up beside Gavin in the water. “Goddamn Meg, you’re forward!” he said, laughing at Gavin’s melted face.

She shrugged. “I know what I want. No sense in being shy, if there’s a guy I like I ask him out! That’s all there is to it,” Meg said, turning back to Gavin. “And I think I like Gavin. After all, if you guys are friends with him, he can’t be all THAT bad,” she said happily.

The water around Gavin’s red face may have actually started to simmer, if not boil completely.

Though just as soon as he did, he nearly bolted out of the pool, screaming hysterically. Leaving Meg and Michael behind, the group of friends exchanged a concerned glance.

"What was that about?" Meg asked.

Michael shrugged. “I have NO idea. Something must have really scared him though,” he replied.

A shirtless Kadan ran by the side of the pool with a distraught expression covering his face.

"BEBE?! BEBE, WHERE ARE YOU?! Come on, it’s not funny anymore! Come out of hiding!" Kadan yelled loudly.

"What’s a Bebe?" Meg asked.

Slowly, Michael looked below his feet, in the spot Gavin had been in just moments ago.

A cold wave blew through the area as Micheal’s face drained of all color.

+

Walking inside his house, Burnie collapsed on the couch, not bothering to even go to his bedroom.

His face, body and spirit were completely drained.

"Fucking… Fuck…." Burnie mumbled under his breath. Huffing, he pulled out a crinkled photograph. Unfolding it, he signed as he looked at the image.

"Twenty years. Twenty years and she finally gives me something. The most useless piece of shit known to man without his name or anything, but… At least I finally got to see him," Burnie said, smiling softly.

Ten thousand dollars. That’s what the little piece of paper had cost him. A price worth every penny.

The photograph in his hands was ancient, and of the Polaroid type. Inside of it, a tall woman with long blonde hair was holding a very happy toddler. Like his mother, the boy had soft blonde hair and her soft features. He was a happy, smiling child with long green overalls and a train on the front.

"Hey… Hey son, how are you doing? Dad misses you," Burnie whispered, sniffing back tears.

"Burnie? You okay?" Gavin asked.

Jumping in his seat, Burnie turned around. “Oh! Gavin! You’re still up?” he asked. He hid the photo in his pocket.

"Any luck with your old girlfriend?" Gavin asked.

Burnie chuckled. “Not really… No name, no nothing. How was your day?” he asked happily.

Gavin blushed. “Oh uh… Kadan’s python went for a swim in the pool and shit in it. Michael nearly killed said snake, and Geoff about murdered Kadan for pulling such a stupid stunt. But then Kadan chased Geoff with Bebe and the man nearly cried in the process. I’ve never seen a man his age cry!” he said, laughing. He cleared his throat, shaking his head. “Oh and uh… Meg… Meg kind of asked me out. I could uh… I could use some advice on that, actually,” he said quietly at the end.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them.

Burnie slowly edged to Gavin and put his arm around the boy. “Gavin… I know you grew up in the streets, and you probably know, but… You do know where babies come from right? You know that if you EVER do anything, you should wear protection right? Do you need condoms? I’ve got some in my room, just-“

Blushing wildly, Gavin pushed him away. “N… NO! I know all that! I didn’t mean THAT kind of advice! I mean… How the fuck am I supposed to ballroom dance?! I’ve never danced before in my life! I don’t know what it means to go on a date! What the hell do I do if she wants to kiss me!? HELP ME! I’M NOT GOOD IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS, THE LAST TIME A GIRL HIT ON ME IN THE STREET I GAVE HER A HERSEY BAR WRAPPER AND CALLED HER BY MY MOTHER’S NAME!” Gavin yelled, pushing and pulling Burnie back and forth.

Burnie grabbed Gavin’s hand and held it tight. “Calm down, calm down! We’ll fix this, I promise!” he assured Gavin as he pulled out his cell phone. “Joel knows how to dance, we’ll get him to give you a lesson tomorrow,” he answered, trying not to picture the comical movements that would come the following day.


	7. Before We Met : 2/2

Dancing lessons, by far, were the single most embarassing experience of Gaivn’s life. Well, maybe not as bad as the winter when his piss froze mid-stream out in the open, or the summer when he tried to bathe in a lake and got caught by a local church picnic, but it was pretty close.

  
Though he wasn’t in Joel’s arms, as he’d expected, somehow he’d ended up with Ray as his dance partner for the evening.   
  
Following the steps that he’d been taught earlier that afternoon, he was swaying back and forth as though he knew what he were doing. While he wouldn’t be winning “dancing with the stars” anytime soon, Gavin accepted that he’d at least be able to get through an evening without killing himself or Meg in the process.  
Though to look at Joel, he might not have been as confident.

  
Joel was off in a corner recliner, with two ice packs covering his feet. Groaning, the older man was downing his third shot of vodka as he tried to forget the nightmare that was Gavin Free dancing. The lessons had started off rough, and eventually had to stop when Joel’s feet swelled to the size of a watermelon from Gavin’s stepping on them.

  
He’d, thankfully, improved remarkably in the last hour. In-step with Gavin as the lead, Ray laughed as Gavin dipped him. “You’re getting the hang of this! I don’t see what Joel was complaing about!” he said with a bright laughter.

  
Sitting up, Joel shot Ray a death-inducing glare. “SURE, I teach him all the moves and YOU reap the rewards of not getting your feet stepped on, ya fucking prick,” he spat back angrily.

  
Ray rolled his eyes, finally letting go of Gavin’s hands as they both stood up. “Seriously though, you’ll dance Meg off her feet! She’ll be the beauty, and you can be the beast! Seriously, just lift up your shirt and that’s all the fur she’ll EVER need,” he said in a romantic sarcasm, fluttering his eyebrows wildly.

  
"Shut up!" Gavin said, slugging Ray playfully in the arm.

  
Smiling, Burnie hopped up from his recliner and laughed. “Well, I’m done for the night. As entertaining as it was to watch Gavin maul Joel’s feet, I’ve got work in the morning. G’night guys!” he said, waving to his fellow co-workers.

  
With the speed and urgency of a sloth, Joel finally managed to raise himself up out of the chair he’d been sitting in for the better part of an hour. “I’m gone too… Ray, want a ride?” he asked.

  
Ray shook his head. “Nah, I’m gonna stay the night with Gavin,” he replied.

  
"You are?" Gavin responded, quickly earning him a jab in the gut from Ray. After grunting, Gavin chuckled. "I mean… Yeah, he’s sleeping over," he replied non-convincingly.   
Joel rose an eyebrow. “O….kay…” he replied, slowly hobbling to the front door. As he opened it and gathered his keys from his pockets, he grinned in their direction. “Remember kiddies, use plenty of lube!” he said, winking comically. He quickly shut the door to dodge two thrown pillows from the living room.

  
As the world calmed down, Gavin sighed and collapsed on the couch. He shut his eyes tightly. “Goooooodddddddddddddddd…. I’m going to screw up the dancing, break Meg’s leg and get fed to Bebe,” he said despairingly, shaking his head. He quickly glanced up and focused on Ray. “By the way… If Geoff is scared of snakes as much as he is, why did he get his son a pet snake?” Gavin asked.

  
Rolling his eyes, Ray plopped down right next to Gavin. His face was blank, and a feigned smile was covering his lips. “Because Kadan’s allergic to furs and it’s the pet he wanted more than anything else in the world,” he said, quickly clearing his throat. “So uh… Michael says you asked about my time in the streets,” he mumbled.

  
A pained look crossed Gavin’s face. “Oh… You don’t really have to tell me if you don’t want to. I was just curious, but if it’s private, then-“

  
Ray cut Gavin off, bopping him in the head. “Just shut up and listen. So like… What I’m going to tell you is pretty weird… I’m not proud of it, but I was basically… Well…” he said, blushing.

  
"You were what? A Canadian immigrant?" Gavin asked, waiting as the awkward silence fell between them.

  
Gulping, Ray laughed nervously. “I was uh… I was a gigolo. But not like in a good way like on Pretty Lady, I was more like a gigolo in a… Fuck, I think the best way to say it is if I ever see another old lady’s vagina or a wrinkly man’s ass again, I think I might barf,” he said, gagging himself to death.

  
Gavin eyed him curiously.

  
Sighing, Ray shook his head. “I fucked old folks for a living. Like, we’re talking 60+, and the kind of woman who had enough wrinkles to hide a remote control in. Or dudes with dicks that were like gross moldy sponges. Sounds gross, I know, but they paid the best, never had STDs, always finished in less than an hour, no pregnancy scares, and they even gave me a butterscotch candy after we finished and called me “Jimmy”,” he explained with a faraway look. As if to bring the message home, he pulled out a small piece of yellow candy and popped it in his mouth.

  
"JESUS CHRIST RAY," Gavin said, rubbing his eyes in a vain attempt to bleach his mind of the visual picture.

  
Ray snorted, nearly falling off the couch in the process. “Dude, I’m fucking with you. I was just a regular ol’ stripper two nights a week, barhopped the other four, that had some sex on the side with guests who really liked me,” he said, slapping Gavin on the back.

Gavin threw his hands around Ray’s neck, nearly bawling from the discomfort in his stomach. “I AM GOING TO KILL YOU! I WILL NEVER GET THE PICTURE OF YOU IN AN OLD LADY’S VAGINA OUT OF MY HEAD AS LONG AS I LIVE. I HAVE TO KILL YOU IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THIS,” he screamed.

A curious Burnie poked his head out of his bedroom door. His mouth was agape and his face was green.

Still laughing loudly, Ray fought off Gavin’s violent intentions. “Okay, so like… It all started getting better about half a year ago. I was-“

+

Club Redd was the hottest club in all of New York. Or at least, that’s what their advertisements said. In reality, it was a dumpster hidden in the armpit of Jersey, just BARELY within New York’s city limits.

Red couches with springs sticking out of them surrounded twenty or so minature stages with poles sticking out of them. Several men of varying body types and races were spinning around the poles, as excited men and women threw money into their skimpy underwear. Only one pole was wobbling that night, much to everyone’s relief.

On the other end, a bar-stage was holding several women that were giving body shots to their clients. Hooting and hollaring could be heard from clear across town.

The sounds of the local techno DJ were booming over the ancient speakers that were moth-eaten, making conversation almost impossible for those directly underneath them.

Though in a corner off to the side, in a booth all by himself and away from the pounding music, Ray Narvaez was sitting in a woman’s lap. In her early thirties, and with huge “assets”, the business executive was already blushing from the alchohol she’d consumed that night.

Ray, conversely, was in a waiter’s outfit for his shift as the club’s barhop, and up until that point had been serving drinks from the bar. He’d been thankful to have a night off the stage, but wasn’t too thrilled as the drunken floozy took an “interest” in him. Though as his boss always like to say, “always make the customer happy, no matter what”. So when she’d ordered him to “dance” in her lap, he tried his best to oblige her. The fifty dollar tip helped significantly.

Though as soon as she started grinding against him, like a dog in heat, he blushed and tried to push away.  
"Oh uh… Don’t do that," Ray asked politely. Sex in the club was prohibited, or any acts that might be considered as sex from the cops. They’d been raided nine times in the last year, and losing his job was the least of his worries.

Giggling, the woman licked Ray’s face and tried to bite his lip. The smell of booze from her mouth was overwhelming.  
"Oh baby… Be quiet and just let it happen," the woman said, putting her arms around Ray and smothering him in her large breasts.

Panicking, Ray tried to push away. “S.. STOP! We can’t do this here, I’ll get fired! Besides, I don’t want you!” he exclaimed.

The client wasn’t listening, and he felt her hand cross his pants zipper. She was grabbing at his manhood.

"BITCH, YOU BEST NOT HURT MY BOY!" a loud man’s voice boomed.

Turning to the side, both Ray and his client were face to face with a six foot four man dressed in drag, complete with a beehive pink wig, dangling earrings and a pair of brass knuckles on his fist. His long green dress was something out of the Miss USA pageant, and the man’s legs could crush a bar of steel.

"MAMA ROSE, HELP! She’s getting a little touchy for my tastes!" Ray said, escaping from his client’s grip. The drag queen picked up the woman as though she were a leaf, and hefted her body across the bar. 

"Girl, you touch my boy Ray and we’re gonna have trouble! I better not see your nasty-ass back here again or I’ll stick my heel so far up your bum that you’ll be able to taste the fake leather!" he shouted. 

Ray watched as the rude client was thrown out of the bar. The sound of a trashcan clanging gave Ray the impression that Mama Rose was not pleased, and his client would probably be waking up a few hours later in the middle of their evening garbage.

Mama Rose closed the door behind himself, and dusted his hands off on his sparkly green dress. He quickly made his way back to Ray, checking the boy over from head to toe.  
"Oh baby, are you okay? She didn’t hurt you did she? Mama Rose will kill that old hag if she did!" he exclaimed, kissing Ray innocently on the forehead.

Ray chuckled. “I’m fine Mama Rose… Thanks, you’re the best bouncer in the biz!” he said, kissing the man right back on the forehead. Turning back to the table, Ray picked up his serving tray and began moving back to the bar. Mama Rose followed him. 

"Ray, baby… Do you have a break coming up soon? Mama needs to talk!" his friend exclaimed. 

Reaching the bar, while deftly dodging Mr. Big’s low sweeping booty move, Ray put away the tray and started rinsing out the empty glasses. 

"Sure. What’s up?" Ray said, as he put the glasses into the washing machine. He started walking away from the bar, right next to Mama Rose.

Mama Rose sighed loudly as the two of them made their way outside the back exit. A few other strippers were smoking by the crumbling brick building. One look from Mama Rose, and the group scattered back inside, leaving the two for a moment of privacy.  
  
Nobody messed with Mama Rose’s “look”.

"Ray… Baby, how long have you been working here?" he asked, leaning against the wall. He pulled out a cigarette from his bra, lighting it up with a match he kept in his garter belt. 

Shrugging, Ray slowly slid down the brick wall of the building. He landed on his rear, sighing softly. “Since I was sixteen, probably. Mr. Lopez let me do dishes and shit so I could sleep in the dressing room after dad kicked me out. When I was eighteen, I started stripping, and when I hit twenty-one, I tried to barhop as much as I could,” he said, shaking his head at Mama Rose’s offer of a cigarette.

Mama Rose let out a long puff of smoke. “How long you been turning tricks?” he asked.

Ray’s eyes went wild. “I haven’t been-“

He was nudged by Mama Rose’s long heel in his cheek. “Baby, don’t lie to Mama. Tell Mama the truth,” he said bluntly. His tone wasn’t angry and instead was more like a mother chastising her child.

Hanging his head low, Ray sighed. The cold of winter gave it form, like a small cloud of guilt. 

"Once or twice, that’s all… Pretty looking women slip me a big tip, tell me to meet them at their place, and I… Well, I get to buy groceries that week and not just live on the rotten martini olives," Ray mumbled.

"Oh baby," Mama Rose said sadly, sliding down to sit next to Ray. He threw his arm around Ray and hugged him tightly. "How many times has Mama told you NOT to go that low?! I don’t care if you have a good time, but turning tricks in this neighborhood is a BAD IDEA. There’s disease, aids, and all sorts of nasty things going around right now. Not to mention the weirdos! Sweetie, I just can’t have this!" he said, pitifully. 

Ray chuckled. “Got tested twice. I’m clean,” he said weakly.

"For NOW," Mama Rose said, slapping Ray on the shoulder gently. "Now listen, baby, Mama Rose has something important to tell you, and I want you to just listen, okay?" he asked.

Nodding, Ray tried to smile. “Okay Mama,” he replied. 

Mama Rose put out his cigarette. He let out the last drag of smoke in his lungs. “You know… Mama’s seen a lot of stuff in his days. I’ve seen my best friends get murdered, watch the people I loved fall into addiction, and see the look on my bestie’s face when she got AIDS from a guy who “swore” he was clean,” he said. He tightened his hug on Ray’s body. “Ray, baby, Mama don’t want you being like that. Mama wants to see her little boy grow up and be happy, out of this place,” he explained with a weak smile.

"Me too. Good look with that," Ray said, rolling his eyes.

Mama Rose laughed. “Sweetie… Mama’s got a gift for you,” he said. Reaching into his fish-net stockings, Mama Rose pulled out a wad of cash. Ray’s jaw dropped as he saw the hundreds and twenties flash by as he shuffled them. 

"Mama’s been saving for a long time, baby. A long time… Mama wanted to go back home and leave this life behind. But… Mama can’t anymore, Mama’s family died and… Mama’s just old now. There’s nothing left for Mama out there," he said sadly. 

In a flash, he handed the cash to Ray. “Baby, it’s not too late for you,” Mama said with a weak smile.

"N.. No! I can’t!" Ray said, trying to push the money back into his friend’s hands. 

Mama’s muscles said otherwise, and the cash found its way in Ray’s front pocket. 

"No, you listen to Mama! You keep talking about that friend of yours… Mikey? Mikeal? Well, whoever it is that lives in Texas! You said how he got his life back on track and has a nice place in Texas. Mama Rose wants you to take that money, call your friend, and go find a job down there. You can live off that until you get a good job," he explained.

Ray shook his head fervently. “Mama Rose, you’ve been talking for YEARS about going back home! I can’t let you do this! You’re my friend! I… I can’t let you do this!” he repeated, as tears started forming in his eyes.

Mama Rose stood up, and pulled Ray up with him. He hugged the man as tightly as possible. “Ray, you’re my baby… How long has Mama Rose known you?” he asked.

Sniffing, Ray laughed past the tears. “Since you first met me! Back then, you wore that stupid teacher’s outfit and spanked the people that you threw out with a ruler,” he said, picturing a much younger man than Mama Rose was now.

The man chuckled. “Mama knew you were special then! You were the first person who saw me for the first time and didn’t ask why a grown man was dressing like a woman! All you asked is if you could talk to the boss and get a job application! Boy, I thought you were a STRANGE one then!” he said with a bright laugh. He patted Ray on the back, straightening out the lad’s hair. “Baby… Take my money. Go have a life and be special! Mama wants that more than anything,” he said quietly.  
There was a silence between the two of them. Ray palmed the money in his front pocket and managed a weak laugh.

"So uh… I’ll call Michael and see if he’s got a spare couch. Maybe he can get me a job where he works! If not, then you get the money back right away!" he said lightly.

"THAT’S MAMA’S BABY!" Mama Rose shouted, grabbing Ray by the arm and escorting him back in. "Come on, drinks on me!" he exclaimed.

Ray sighed. “If this works out, the last thing I will EVER want to do is drink as long as I live,” he said with a short smirk.

+

Gavin shook his head. His jaw was dropped, mouth open, and body slouched. Even after moving to his bedroom, and laying side by side on the bed, Gavin’s expression hadn’t changed since the story began.

"So uh… Anyway, Mama Rose got me a bus fare and I drove all the way out to Austin. Michael picked me up, introduced me to Burnie, and I got a job at Rooster Teeth. About a month ago I moved out, once I had enough savings. The rest, I guess, is history!" Ray said, finishing his story.

Still slack-jawed, Ray had to close Gavin’s mouth himself. “It’s not that bad… A little embarassing if our fans knew I used to be a stripper, but nobody talks about Club Redd anymore. They tore it down after the owner got arrested for tax evasion,” he explained. 

Gavin finally came back down to earth. “Well SHIT, Ray, what happened to Mama Rose?! Did he ever go back home?!” he asked.

Laughing, Ray shook his head. “Actually… No. The first thing I did with my first few paychecks was to send a wire to him. He moved out here to Austin with me and joined Club HyDros as a professional bouncer. Mama Rose makes more money now than ever, AND is part of the local Catholic Church’s bowling team. Man, he and those nuns know how to bowl! They’re on the way to nationals right now! He’s never had more fun in his life, and is considering joining the church to help underprivileged youth!” he explained with a bright smile. 

"You’re fucking with me, right? This is another old lady vagina thing, isn’t it?" Gavin asked.

Ray shook his head. “Nah. I’d never joke ‘bout Mama Rose. He saved my life,” he said happily.

"BULLSHIT!" Gavin said loudly, laughing it over.

As he did, Ray’s phone began buzzing inside of his pajama bottoms. He pulled it out and smirked. A video chat from skype was coming through. “BIG M” was lit up on the screen.

He put it right in Gavin’s face and sat next to him, as if they were taking a selfie. Ray answered it, and soon a video image came on screen.

Gavin’s face went pale. 

On screen was a man in his later thirties, in a green cleansing kit and big curlers in his hair. In the background, Gavin could just barely make out nuns praying in a corner. Another one was polishing a bowling ball.

"MAMA ROSE! How’s the bowling tournament?" Ray asked.

"AWWW? Is that Gavy? He’s so cute!" Mama Rose said, waving to Gavin from inside the phone.


	8. A Promise Kept

(A decade before)

"MAMA!" a little girl screamed.

Running down the staircase, a junior high student with bright red hair was spinning around and around in her bright red party dress. A simplistic affair, it was a new kind of style that allowed the skirt-end of the dress to dance around and give the illusion of a flower.

The girl reached the bottom floor of the home and ran across the hardwood flooring. A taller woman, also with bright red hair had a pale face as she hung the wireless phone up.

"Mama, Mama! Is Gavvers ready?! The dance is gonna start soon, and I wanna show him my new dress!" the girl exclaimed happily. She twirled around again.

"Megan… Sweetheart, there’s something I need to-"

Megan ignored her mother, running to the front door and throwing on her white high heels.

"MAMA, come on! We’ve got to go pick up Gavvers! He’s gonna think I forgot him!" she exclaimed.

Megan’s mother gulped audibly. “Sweetheart… I need you to listen to me… Something’s… Something’s happened,” she remarked.

As her face fell, Megan’s dress began to slouch on her body. “What? Did grandma die again?” she asked.

"No…" her mother replied, as she moved closer and closer to her daughter. She put her hands on Megan’s shoulder. "Sweetie, it’s about Gavin. He… He… He ran away from home this morning. His mother has called the police, but she wants to know if… If you know where he is," she asked.

Tearing away from her mother, Meg shook her head vehemently. “No! No, you’re wrong! Gavvers wouldn’t run away! Tonight is the school dance! He PROMISED to take me! Gavvers is my best friend, he couldn’t leave!” she yelled.

Her mother took her by the shoulders again. “Megan, sweetie! Listen to me! Do you know where Gavin might have gone to? It’s really important! We need to find him right now!” she ordered.

Meg slapped her mother’s hand away. “No! You’re lying!” she yelled. Moving immediately to the front house window, she sat in the cushioned padding just below the window. She folded her arms and huffed. “Just wait and see! Gavvers will come! Gavvers PROMISED. Gavvers wouldn’t leave me. He’s my best friend, and I’m going to marry him!” Megan explained.

"Megan…" her mother muttered.

"GO AWAY. I’m waiting for Gavvers! He’s just late! We’ll go have fun at the dance and I’ll show you that you’re wrong!" Meg barked.

She began looking across the street for Gavvers at 5 PM.

At sunset, she saw the police cars surround Gavvers’ house.

As the darkness overtook the area, she saw Gavvers’ mother come out and cry for an hour on the front porch.

As the moon lit up the night sky in the late hours, she heard the news report in the other room send out a plea to find “Little Gavin Free”.

As midnight tolled in the home, Meg felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder.

A tear silently ran down her cheek.

"Gavvers… Gavvers isn’t coming, is he?" Meg asked.

++++++++++

(Present Day ; Several Weeks Earlier)

Finally at the tail end of her shift at the local diner, Meg Turney was thrilled to finally be almost done with her summer job. With her job at Rooster Teeth starting in the next month, the time of dirty dishes and rude customers were coming to a rapid end. Having just moved to Austin, she needed some income as her position became available to pay her rent and basic necessities.

The local diner, luckily, had need for someone to help out with the summer rush. Though it was not the glamorous start to her online internet career as she’d hoped for.

Wiping away the sweat from her brow, she slammed down her serving tray next to the chef’s serving window.

"For fuck’s sake…" Meg muttered, trying to wipe off a ketchup stain that a twelve year old brat had squeezed onto her.

"HEY SWEET CHEEKS, HOW ABOUT A REFILL?" a rather lewd trucker lady shouted at her from across the diner.

"NAH, cutie-pie is gonna help me out!" a man scoffed at a bench filled with construction workers.

Meg huffed angrily. “I hate everyone. I hope they all get thrown into a volcano as virgin sacrifices. Fucking assholes,” she mumbled.

"Be nice MEG!"

The sound of an old friend echoed in her head. She chuckled to herself. “Shut the fuck up Gavvers, you never had to deal in retail!” Meg told herself mentally.

After all the years that had passed since her best friend had ran away, she still managed to remember his squeaky little voice, and how he always wanted to hit puberty so he could sound more “manly”.

Though part of his charm was the cute little accent he’d gotten from his mother. She never had the chance to say it, but she always wanted his voice to stay the same.

The front door dinged, signaling the arrival of another asshole.

Smiling through it, she raised her head up to see if they’d be sitting in her serving area. Though her smile became genuine as she noticed Michael and Ray walking through.

“YO JONES, THE USUAL?” a waiter asked from behind the counter, who had been serving the red head for many years.

Michael nodded to the affirmative and led a strange golden-blond boy and Ray to the far-most booth in the restaurant, away from the rest of the many customers.

As they managed to make themselves comfortable, Meg came to their side. After adjusting her glasses, she sat three glasses of extra-large cokes in front of each of them.

"Hey… New guy here?” the waitress asked pleasantly, eying the blonde from top to bottom.

Something about him was oddly familiar. Maybe it was the hair, or perhaps the way his nose make Toucan Sam jealous.

Then, it hit her.

A fond smile crossed her face as her memories washed over her like a wave.

"Oh wow… He looks like Gavvers…" Meg thought to herself.

In her mind, she pictured a boy she’d known as a child. Her best friend growing up, “Gavvers”, had run away from home. They’d spent every hour of every day together from the age of five until they were nearly teenagers. She spent more time with him than her own family, so it was a painful year after he’d left.

Snapping out of her miniature fantasy, Meg turned back to Ray, resisting the urge to pinch the stranger’s nose out of a sick nostalgia.

Ray nodded, covering Gavin’s mouth in the process and preventing him from speaking. “This is Gavin… Uh… Gavin Whatshisname… He’s our newest intern from… From… Uh… From somewhere… Thought we’d treat the kid to the best damn burgers in Texas!” he answered.

Meg’s heart stopped for a mere moment.

"It… It couldn’t be!" Meg thought to herself.

Though as she took in his facial structure, it was possible.

The big nose, the messy blonde hair, and the way he could potentially hide behind a lamp post.

"Nah… Couldn’t be!" Meg told herself.

The waitress smiled brightly. “Well nice to meet you Gavin… I’m Meg! Three usuals are coming right out!” she announced.

For whatever reason, she felt the overwhelming urge to wink in his direction.

The “Gavin” blushed as she did.

Her eyes felt odd, as if they were on fire. She didn’t want to take her eyes off of him.

The more she looked… The more she felt like little girl again, waiting on the front porch for Gavvers to come out and play.

+++++

The outside balcony was empty, giving the couple some much needed space. For the hottest social event of the season, it was also by-far the busiest. Eternally thankful for the crowd, Gavin had been able to blame the others around him for injury to Meg’s feet, and even do so without lying!

Away from the crowd, it became all the more apparent that Gavin and Meg were both spectacular examples of a formal affair.

In a flowing red gown embroidered with white gems and lined with golden edges, she was like a twirling burst of embers when she danced.

Gavin, similarly, had a bold black tuxedo with a tie that matched Meg’s fiery dress. Pinned to his chest was a vivid red orchid that Lindsay had provided for him.

Each held a wine glass from the open bar, and Meg fanned herself with her thin hands.

"Oh goodness… It was so crowded in there that I barely could hear myself think!" Meg explained.

Chuckling nervously, Gavin nervously drank a heaping of his wine, downing it immediately.

Meg’s eyes went distant, and she turned away from her date.

His face kept throwing her into a far away world.

Gavin wasn’t helping things. His nervous ticks were a dead giveaway that he wasn’t Mr. Swave that she’d expected. More like a dorky goofball, his actions only strengthened her opinion that he was…

"So Gavin… How about an icebreaker?" she asked, thumbing her wine glass as she gazed up to the stars overhead.

He nodded immediately. “Yeah, please, I’m a bloody mess!” Gavin said happily.

Leaning over the edge of the balcony, Meg glanced at the gardens below.

"Tell me about… Oh… I don’t know… Your best friend when you were a little kid," she said plainly.

She held her breath.

Gavin’s face twitched. “U… Uh, like… When I was real little?” he asked.

Meg nodded. “Yeah… The little kid you played with like… Before you started school! They say you can tell a lot about someone by the friends you remember!” she explained rather half-halfheartedly.

Looking away, Meg waited for her hopes to be dashed.

His face fell. Looking down at his glass, he huffed at its empty contents.

"Well uh… When I was real little, there was this girl I played with when my mom and dad didn’t want me inside the house," Gavin said, with a playful smirk. He smiled at the memory. "Her name was… Uh… Actually, I just called her Princess M. That’s what she wanted to be called, and always dressed up in a big pink dress her mother made for her. She liked to call me Gavvers, for god knows why. We grew up together and I…" Gavin mumbled, shutting his eyes.

He couldn’t see Meg’s face. He couldn’t see as her jaw dropped and her face went white.

"I… I was supposed to go to dance with her. Our junior high spring dance, she was… She was really excited. I… I didn’t go with her. I broke my promise," Gavin said, shaking his head shamefully. "I.. I haven’t thought about her in years. How… How could I have forgotten about her? We were… We were best friends! She always said we were going to get married, or she’d chop off my manhood," he said, chuckling.

"You know, it’s funny you mention that," Meg said, laughing.

Gavin turned to face her. There was something different about her. The fire he’d seen in her eyes that first day was back.

"I had a friend… I had a friend who… Well, he didn’t "move" away like you did. Actually, his bitch of a mother and her boyfriend at the time ran him off. They treated him like shit from the day he was born until the day he’d had enough. My friend, even though he had such a HORRIBLE life, always managed to make me smile and… He always kept his promises," Meg said, as she sniffed back a sob. "Even today… He’s keeping his promise… He… He took me to a dance," she remarked as she finally turned to face Gavin again. She was smiling, crying, and glaring at him with murderous intent all at once.

"Even today? But I’m the one who took you to the-"

Silence.

The crowds made no noise.

The music had ceased in their world.

Even Gavin’s long gulp was but a mere shadow of sound.

"Wh… What was his name? What was your friend’s name" Gavin asked.

Silence.

Meg parted her hair, and it flapped silently in the summer breeze.

The gentle thud of her glass being placed on the table was absorbed by the voice.

A teardrop, fresh from her eyes, plopped in her wine with narry a sound.

"His name…" Meg said, as she slowly stepped forward. Taking his hands in hers, she gripped his palms tightly. He could feel the chill rush through her palms. "His name was Gavin Free. I called the little shit Gavvers," she answered simply.

Overhead, a trail of golden light shot up into the sky. As it reached its peak, a loud crack echoed as sparks of red and blew showered down over the Summer Ball.

The fireworks brought back the noise of the crowd, the slow tempo of a piano piece, and Gavin’s chattering teeth as he shook. Meg’s hair struck his face and it crumpled on his temple. As she leapt into him, Meg’s elbow knocked over her wine glass and it shattered behind them.

Lips crashed against each other, and Gavin instinctively put his arms around Meg. More fireworks exploded above them, and the eruption of light illuminated against their skin in the darkness.

Inside the ballroom, the man on stage once more took the microphone and picked up in the middle of his long piano piece. His voice was deep, lyrical and overpowering the sound system.

"Romantic dreams must die, so I bid mine goodbye and never knew…. So close, was waiting… Waiting here with you, and now forever I know… All that I wanted to hold you…… So… Close….."

Gavin and Meg separated at last, breathing heavily. Tears streaked down both their faces, and a faint bit of laughter escaped their throats.

"I… I thought you were gone forever… I… I thought I’d lost my best friend. I… I stayed up all night waiting for you! I… I waited for YEARS," Meg said, wiping her eyes.

Gavin shook his head. “I… I thought… I thought I’d never see you again… I… I wanted to see you… I just… I just couldn’t go home. I couldn’t go back there! Not after what mom did to me! Not after she… She…” he replied as his hands trembled in hers. He couldn’t finish the sentence.

A flame was lit in Meg’s earthy eyes. “Never again… Don’t… Don’t you ever leave me again!” she ordered as she leaned into him once more, resting her head on his chest.

"Never… Never again," Gavin replied, taking her hands once more. "Come on… I… I want to have another dance with Princess M," he said, as he escorted the two of them back to the middle of the balcony.

Meg smiled. “And I want a dance with dorky little Gavvers,” she said, as they both stood in the first position.

Gavin took Meg’s right hand an extended it, clasping her waist with the other. Slowly, they began swaying back and forth in a spinning motion as the speakers shot out the last of the lyrics from the on-stage performance.

"So close to reaching, that famous happy end… Almost believing, this one’s not pretend."

Swinging each other wildly as they spun and pirouetted in the middle of the abandoned balcony, both kids laughed wildly. As if they were five again, neither cared as onlookers gave them the most bizarre look.

Even from the stage, the musical artist seemed to glance their way.

"And now you’re beside me, and look how far we’ve come… So far we are…. So close…" the man sang, finishing the last of his song.

As the finale came, the nets overhead released, dumping a sparkling rain of confetti over the ballroom dancers, which wafted outside the balcony doors in the wind. Combined with the fireworks still booming in the sky, it was as if diamonds were shimmering around them.

They stood arm-in-arm well into the night, as time ceased to matter for anyone during that special night.

Though just behind the balcony window, Ray held up his smart-phone to get a perfect view.

The sound of a loud tissue being blown could be heard, breaking the silence.

"OH Ray…. That’s just… That’s SO SWEET!" Mama Rose shrieked on the other line. The "oohing" and "awwing" of the bowling nuns could also be heard, and Ray smirked.

"You go get your fucking happy ending Gavin… You go," he said happily for his new friend.


	9. Lost and Found

After the summer ball, Gavin and Meg started dating IMMEDIATELY. Long dinners by candlelight, fun summer swimming after work, and passionate evenings whenever Burnie wasn’t hanging around the house.

Weeks passed, and soon Rooster Teeth was abuzz with the news. Meg’s fans started referring to their relationship as “Turnfree”, and before he knew it, Gavin saw naked picture of him and Meg in bed together. His favorite was a story where they were mermaids.

Though besides their relationship, a few other lovely things changed.  
Mama Rose and the “Holy Rollers” got first runner up in the national bowling tournament, coming home with a triumphant look and several thousand dollars for church renovations. Ray was happy to have the man home, so the guys could start back up their weekly poker game. Gavin was amazed at Mama Rose’s poker face, and even more amazed that a man could look so good in heels!

Geoff, Griffon and Kadan were finally able to head off to their family vacation, and the bickering between father and son had ceased at last. Gavin had been put in charge of watching Bebe while they were out of town. The ball python was actually very laid back and only wrapped around his neck or hissed when hungry. Though he swore that the snake kept peeking in on him and Meg while they did things, going so far as to prop its pervy head up with its tail and SMIRK.

But despite the new relationship, the return of everyone’s favorite drag queen, and Kadan’s pervy snake, one issue kept dwelling in the back of Gavin’s head.

An issue that brought him back to the alley he’d been sleeping in not too long ago.

A shopping cart was beside him as his old friends gathered around him.

"Here you go Ol’ Jim, a blanket, socks and clean undies!" Gavin said, handing a scruffy male in his sixties several items.

The man sniffed back tears, wrapping his arms around Gavin’s neck. “Bless you… Bless you son,” he said, moving away from the line and to the back of the alley in his sleeping spot.

A younger man was next to Gavin, in his later teens. He was a new face, still wearing some name brand clothes he’d previously owned in his “home” life.

"Take these, TRUST me, you’re going to need them," Gavin said, handing the boy thick jacket, socks, and a travel cleaning kit with dental equipment and a first aid kit.

The kid smiled. “Thanks…” he replied, running off to the spot that Gavin had once occupied and abandoned.

Going through the rest of the line in a similar fashion, Gavin glanced around for the old friend that had taken care of him all those years ago.

"Ol’ Jim, where’s Eddie?" Gavin asked, walking to the tail end of the alleyway and leaning down next to the old man as he wrapped himself up in the big blanket.

The homeless man sighed, shaking his head. “Eddie got real sick last week Gavin. We called the EMTs from the local hospital and they came and got him. We… We haven’t heard back,” he replied.

Gavin’s eyes went wide. He shot up without a second to spare and dashed out of the alley and off towards the Austin hospital.

+

Room 303. That was the room where Eddie, the man who had taken him under his wing when he first ran away, was staying. After lying about his family link to Eddie, he’d been allowed into the intensive care unit.  
He opened the door, and glanced at the medically sterile room around him. The bottom of the barrel when it came to healthcare, it was clear that this room was designed for people who weren’t going to last very long. No bathroom, no windows, no television, the only thing that made noise was the ancient heart monitor and breathing tubes hooked up to the man’s face.

Eddie was bone-thin, pale, and had been shaved of his scruffy attire. His eyes were wild, shaking and crying.

"Eddie? Eddie, it’s Gavin," he said, closing the door behind him.

The man’s face turned to Gavin. “G… G… Gav… in?” he mumbled, struggling to breath out the words.

Gavin raced to the man’s side, sitting down in the creaky chair next to him. “Eddie… Jim told me what happened. W… What’s going on? Areyou going to be alright?” he asked.

The man chuckled, coughing as he did so. “No sonnie… No I’m not. I’m dyin’ and their ain’t nothin’ nobody can do about it,” he replied heartily.

Gavin’s face went pale. His hands clung to Eddie’s tightly. “N… No! You can’t! You can’t die!” he exclaimed.

Rolling his eyes, Eddie sighed deeply. “Boy… I’ve been waiting to die for ten years. The only thing keeping me here was you. I… I couldn’t die until I knew you’d be okay… Now you are, so… It’s Eddie’s time to go,” he said longingly.

"What?! What are you talking about?!" Gavin shouted. Tears were streaming down his face. His hands were shaking and his body slumping.

Eddie smiled. “When you came… Boy, you were a dumb one. Came all the way to Austin hitchhiking when you were twelve. Lucky your ass didn’t get kidnapped or raped, that’s for sure… God… Then you came around and tried to beg for change. Dumb-ass didn’t realize that’d get you shipped off to protective services and back in your shitty life,” he explained. His smile got bigger. “Then… Then I taught you the ropes and our little family felt normal again having a kid in the family. Felt… Good… Felt… Happy,” he said, hacking himself to death at the tail end.

Gavin just shook his head repeatedly. “Eddie, STOP. Don’t talk, you… You don’t have to talk anymore! Just rest! You’ve got to get better!” he ordered.

Chuckling, Eddie’s body went limp on the bed and his grip lessened in Gavin’s hand. “Sonnie… I’m so happy you got out of our life… It’s a miserable life that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Really, all we’re doin’ is waiting to die, all of us. We don’t have friends, don’t have family, and… Don’t have a reason to exist. I… I’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time Gavin,” he said, as he closed his eyes.

Gavin shot up from his seat. “No… No… Don’t leave Eddie! Don’t leave! You’ve got to hang in there!” he yelled, shaking the man.

"W… What for?" Eddie mumbled, clearly out of breath.

A smile crossed Gavin’s face. “Eddie, life is BEAUTIFUL. Everything’s changed for me, and I know it can change for you too! I… I’ll let you stay in my room! We’ll get you a job somewhere! You.. You can get a new life! You can’t give up on hope! It may just be a day away from being fantastic! PLEASE! PLEASE JUST SAY WITH ME!” he screamed, tears flowing off his eyes and dribbling over Eddie’s hospital gown.

"It… It’s too hard.. I just… I just want peace…" Eddie muttered.

Gavin slapped the man across the face, shooting his eyes open. “WE’RE NOT IN THIS LIFE FOR PEACE! WE’RE IN THIS LIFE TO FIGHT! TO FIGHT AND GRAB AND KEEP GOING UNTIL WE’RE HAPPY! NOBODY HAS A PEACEFUL LIFE ALL THE TIME! EVERYONE IS ALWAYS FIGHTING A BATTLE! DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE GIVE UP! YOU FIGHT! FIGHT DAMNIT! WE’LL GET YOU WHAT YOU WANT, I SWEAR IT!” he screamed.

His words shot tears into Eddie’s eyes. The man trembled.

"I… I can’t… I’m… I…" Eddie said, as his head twisted on the pillow. His eyes shut once more.

"Eddie?!" Gavin shouted. He shook the man.

There was no response.

A loud beeping noise came from the heart monitor to his side.

Gavin went cold.

"N… No.. Nonononononono, don’t you dare… HELP! GET IN HERE AND HELP HIM!" Gavin ordered, slamming the "call nurse" button. He couldn’t have been more than a year older than Gavin.

After what felt like a millenia, a grouchy-looking male nurse in his early twenties made his way into the scarce hospital room.

"Oh God, please tell me the geezer finally croaked. We’re losing money on this bastard the longer he lives," the young nurse remarked.

Gavin’s blood boiled as he stepped away for the nurse to do his job.

Though after a quick check, the man sighed. “I’m calling it. Dead, 1:03 PM Saturday,” he said.

"WHAT?!" Gavin yelled, grabbing the nurse by the collar. "DO SOMETHING!" he screamed.

The nurse pushed him away. “WE HAVE A CLEAR ORDER OF DO NOT RESUISITATE. THERE’S NOTHING WE CAN DO!” he yelled back. HE shook his head. “The hobo wanted to die and NEEDED to die. What good was he anyway?” he exclaimed.

Before the nurse could finish the sentence, Gavin had the young man on the floor with his hands around his throat. He banged the nurse’s head against the cold tile floor. “TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT FUCKING BACK!” he screeched.

"ARE YOU INSANE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" the nurse yelled, fighting back as he kicked Gavin off of him.

The two wrestled back and forth on the floor. Gavin punched at the man’s face, leaving several noticeable bruises. The nurse scratched at

Gavin’s face, leaving a cut across Gavin’s nose.

Their fight lasted for several minutes until security entered the room. They pulled the two apart, holding Gavin around the neck.

"What are you doing young man? How could you attack a NURSE? Do you know how many lives this man has saved?" the security officer asked.

Gavin spat in the nurse’s face as they walked by him.

"No, but I know one life he ended!" Gavin shouted as they took him away.

+

After being cooped up in the hospital’s security cell for the better part of two hours, Gavin finally looked up as Burnie made his way into the office

"GAVIN!? Are you okay?!" he shouted, rushing to the bar-lined cell.

Gavin didn’t move. “I’m fine,” he mumbled under his breath.

The security officer that had taken Gavin in moved to the side of both men.

"Mr. Burns? Gavin explained that you’re his caretaker, is this correct?" the officer asked.

Burnie nodded. “Yes, yes, is there a fine or a fee involved? I’ll pay it, just let him out!” he ordered.

The security officer sighed. “After hearing the story from both sides, we believe that both men were at fault. While Mr. Free didn’t need to resort to violence, our nursing staff was out of line as well. If Mr. Free agrees to never return to the premises except in a medical emergency, we’re willing to look the other way and not involve the authorities,” he explained.

"Of course, we agree, don’t we Gavin?" Burnie asked, turning to the lad.  
Gavin nodded reluctantly.

"Very well," the officer said, pulling out his key-card and unlocking the cell. With the door opened, Gavin stood up and moved to Burnie’s side.

"Let’s go…" Burnie mumbled, escorting Gavin out of the building and into the parking lot.

The sun beat down on their heads in the hot afternoon.

"Want to talk about it?" Burnie asked.

Gavin shook his head. “My… My best friend just died. He.. He died without accomplishing anything with his life. That bastard insulted him. I.. I lost it,” he said quietly.

There was silence in between both of them.

"Tell me about him," Burnie asked.

The two of them found the bus bench that would lead back to their neighborhood and plopped down next to each other.

"H.. His name was Eddie. When I came to Austin, he… He took me to the alley, shared his food with me and taught me everything I needed to know to survive. He.. He treated me like his son," Gavin said.  
The tears returned to the lad’s eyes. He covered his face to hide the tears, sobbing hysterically into his hands.

Burnie pulled Gavin into a hug.

"I… I NEVER SHOULD HAVE LEFT MY HOME IN THE STREET! He… HE would have kept living! He wouldn’t have given up! I’m… I’m an idiot!" Gavin screamed.

Burnie patted Gavin on the shoulder. “Gavin… Home… Home isn’t a place where you live. Home isn’t a street corner, and home isn’t a house full of people Home… Home is where people love you.

Looking up to face Burnie, Gavin’s sad eyes pierced into his.

"If that man was really like a father to you… Do you really think he’d be upset that you found a new, better home? A home where you’ve got friends, family, a bed, and a girlfriend? A place where… A place where you’ve got someone who really cares about you, and who can make you feel happy? Because if he was really like a father to you… There’s no way he could be sad or angry about you leaving. In fact… I bet he was happy, seeing you safe and looking better than you have in many years," Burnie explained.

Gavin shook. “I… I just…” he mumbled.

"You’ll be okay Gavin. I know it’s hard to believe this now, but… Eddie’s probably in a better place now, if you believe in some manner of religion. Or if you don’t? Well… Perhaps there’s a cosmic power that’s at work, and Eddie’s being reincarnated into the son of some rich family, and he’ll live a life of joy. After all, he’s earned plenty of karma if he helped you out making it this far in life," Burnie said with a kind smile.

Gavin’s head looked down. “He… He gets to sleep now. He… He doesn’t have to suffer… Anymore,” he whispered, softly crying on Burnie’s shoulder. “I just… I didn’t want it to end like that for him. I.. I wanted to help him out… I wanted to help them all out! I wanted to give them everything they needed until they got off the street! I just… I wanted to make everything better, and… I just.. I didn’t get to do that for Eddie. He was… He was the one person who I wanted to help the most,” he whimpered.

Their bus to home started to pull up.

"Come on… Let’s get home. We’ll talk, we’ll cry, we’ll eat, we’ll plan about how we want to help with Eddie’s funeral, chat up about how we can help your other friends, and we’ll stay up all night talking and eating as much as we can," Burnie said as he stood up, offering his hand to Gavin.

Gavin reluctantly nodded, and both men boarded the bus.

+

Gavin cried.

Gavin ate.

Gavin let Bebe sleep on his lap, and pet the python to relieve his stress.

Gavin plotted on how RoosterTeeth would start helping to donate goods to the local homeless, and Burnie agreed.

Gavin and Burnie agreed to pay for Eddie’s funeral. He would be cremated. As Gavin pointed out, the man spent his whole life trapped in a “box”, there’s no reason he had to be laid to rest in one.

It was 3 AM by the time both men were tired enough to call it a night.

Gavin stretched out. “Tomorrow’s going to SUCK waking up!” he moaned.  He wrapped Bebe around his shoulders, getting ready for bed.

Burnie chuckled from his recliner. “Oh Gavin, take the day off. I’m going to I know for a fact. We can just sit back and relax,” he explained.

Nodding, Gavin stood up and started to make his way to his bedroom door.

"OH, Gavin, I about forgot!" Burnie exclaimed. Shooting up from the recliner, Burnie grabbed a large manilla envelope from the kitchen table and handed it back to Gavin. "Remember that genetic family finder place you signed up for last month? Well, you got a reply!" he said.

"Really?!" Gavin shouted, tearing open the package and pulling out the letter.

_To Mr. Gavin Free:_

_Thank you for choosing to utilize our family reunion service. We appreciate your business and your patience as we analyzed your genetics._

_Based on your DNA, we have found a 100% match to your genetic history in our database. We have found your genetic father, and can confirm that this is a match without a doubt._

_Per our contractual and legal obligations, we cannot divulge your father’s name at this time. We ask that you write a letter to your potential parent and suggest a way to meet. Our organization will then mail your letter to your father and provide him with the same opportunity to communicate._

_Should both parties wish to meet, we will arrange a public meeting so the two of you can meet._

_We look forward to your reply,_

_Mr. Cole T. Reed_   
_Genetic Reunion Foundation_

  
Gavin’s jaw dropped.

"So… What’s it say?!" Burnie asked.

Beaming, Gavin turned back to Burnie. “They… They found my father!” he shouted.


	10. Home

Months had passed. Correspondence between Gavin and his father had been frustratingly obscure. Because of the privacy laws on both ends, neither could share their name, birthplace, or even where they lived in general. Their letters had to be less than one page in length and focus on discussing if they wanted to meet or not.

Luckily, the man he knew as his father DID want to meet him. The letter explained that Gavin’s father had been searching for him for the better part of half his life. Apparently Gavin’s mother had pushed him away after a misunderstanding happened. Gavin believed it.

Gavin had, naturally, written back and told him everything about living on the streets. He explained how his mother had kicked him out, and how he was wanting nothing more than finally have a blood relative in his life.

He wasn’t the only one with good news. While Burnie was VERY secretive about it, apparently the same Genetic Reunion Foundation had found his son. Gavin was sworn to secrecy, and nobody at the company knew anything. He’d had these “specks of hope” before, only to be disappointing that the lead ended up being nothing. Gavin was told ONLY because they had a similar situation going on.

Though at the end of the process, a date was finally made. A date where they would finally meet and be able to see each other face to face for the first time.

So it was after months of letters that Gavin found himself at the Hilton Austin at the dining area. The elegant hotel was designed in dark brown woods and a spectacular glass circular ceiling. The bar area, where he’d been sitting at, was accompanied by an elegant piano and flawless glasses filled with a wide array of bright colors.

Meg had come as moral support, and the two had taken up an area at the bar, while waiting for the Genetic Foundation member to show up and introduce him to his father.

Gavin was dressed up in the rental tuxedo he’d worn for the Summer Ball. To match Meg’s winter attire of a bright blue business skirt and suit, he added a tie of the same hue around his neck.

Downing his third beverage of the evening, Gavin let out a deep sigh.

"Calm down! Gavin, everything is going to be alright," Meg said kindly. She put her arm on his shoulder. "You’re going to meet your father, have a happy sappy reunion, and life will move on. I mean, when you’ve got a place like RoosterTeeth and Burnie as your family, who the hell else do you need? Some man you’ve never known your whole life? For fuck’s sake, a dad isn’t just the guy who fucked your mom and made her pregnant. A dad is someone who… Who’s there for you! A dad is someone who protects you, keeps you safe, and acts as a role model. I mean… Eddie was a dad for you! Burnie is a dad for you! Hell, you’re your own fucking dad! So just… Just calm down. At the end of the day, none of this really matters. What matters is right here!" Meg explained, poking Gavin square in the chest.

Gavin chuckled. “Yeah… I know, I guess I just…” he muttered, sighing angrily.

Meg turned to him, curious as his mushed expression.

"I always dreamed of my dad picking me up and taking me home. You know? Like a guardian angel that made everything better again. I guess that’s stupid…" Gavin mumbled.

With a toothy grin, Meg laid her head on Gavin’s shoulder. “That’s not stupid at all. I had a dream like that too. That my little Gavvers would come back to me one day. My dream came true too! Just don’t be disappointed if he’s not everything you hoped for and he doesn’t whisk you off to some fancy castle in the sky,” she said, as she stole a kiss from Gavin. “But if he makes you move away, I’ll murder him with a hand-ax and feed his body to Bebe,” she said in a comical villain voice.

The two laughed loudly as a cold hand tapped Gavin on the shoulder. He jumped and turned around to face a professional looking man. With piercing white hair, a red and black striped suit, and some gaudy looking eyeliner, he looked like something out of Monty’s anime.

"Mr. Free? My name is Mr. Reed, and I’m the acting President of the Genetic Reunion Foundation. It’s a pleasure to meet you," he explained as he held his hand out.

Gavin shook the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you too!” he replied.

Meg patted Gavin on the shoulder. “I’ll go wait by the piano bar. I think I see Mama Rose singing tonight, and I’m dying to know where he found that dress!!” she said, nodding as she gave Gavin his privacy.

The Reed fellow guided Gavin away from the bar, and the two of them began making their way across the hotel’s lobby.

"You’ll have to forgive me, but I wanted to be involved directly in this reunion. Your father has been our client since we founded in 2003. Actually, he was our very first client, and kept us in business through some tough times. I felt I owed him this personal favor," Mr. Reed said.

Gavin’s stomach churned as they turned down a side hallway and to the many conference halls. One of them had his father inside.

"You don’t have any idea how glad I was to finally see a match come in. I personally checked the results seven times, and was THIS close to actually going to see you in person and clarify it again," Reed chuckled.

The two stopped in front of room 123A.

Reed slapped Gavin on the back. “Your father is inside. We’ve provided dinner. If there’s anything you need, I’m just outside.

It took thirty minutes for Gavin to finally grip on the handle of the door. He gulped as he turned it.

The conference room was a simple affair. His father’s back was to him, and his shadow was cast was from the long white candle in the middle of a dining room table. The scent of fresh rolls and salad dressing wafted in the air around him.

Gavin glanced at the man’s broad shoulders. They trembled.

"Is that you?" a raspy, clearly tear-stained voice asked.

Looking away, Gavin shoved his hands in his tuxedo.

"P… Please tell me it’s you. I’ve… I’ve been looking so long that I-.. P… P… Please just tell me that you’re… My… My son?"

The voice was more familiar.

He turned back to the man, trying to make out his body shape.

"You… You still there?"

The man’s voice was that of Burnie Burns.

Gavin’s eyes shot wide. He nearly collapsed to his knees, and his breath was taken away.

He heard Burnie cry in front of him. “Goddammit… I’ve… I’ve been looking for you for… For so long… I.. I don’t care if you hate my guts and want to cuss me out about leaving you, but… Just… Just please tell me you’re alive…” he choked out.

Gavin took a step closer. His mouth was agape, and he shook off the illusion that BURNIE was sitting there. He’d gone insane. He’d drank too much. There just.. There wasn’t any way it was possible.

The man stood up. With about as much urgency as a snail, the man turned around. His body was all there.

Burnie’s curly hair.

Burnie’s face.

Burnie’s suit.

Burnie’s tie.

Burnie’s glasses.

Burnie’s tears.

Burnie’s broken face.

Gavin felt tears run down his face.

"G… Gavin!? What… What are you doing here?! Did you follow me here?! For fuck’s sake kid, I… I I wasted all my good lines on you! What… What are you-"

"You’re my father…" Gavin said.

Burnie’s face went white. His heart stopped.

Gavin chuckled. He shook his head. He slapped himself on the face. “Y… You’re my father… YOU.. You are my father?! Oh… OH MY GOD,” he shouted, falling to his knees.

A dream he’d had ran through his hands. A shadowy man holding out his hand and pulling a twelve year old Gavin off the streets and carrying him off into a palace of a home.

The memory of Burnie standing over him, and pulling him out of the street and carrying him off into the warmest home he’d ever known.

Like a jigsaw puzzle, the shadowy figure he’d dreamed of as a child was now replaced with Burnie.

Tears rolled down his cheeks in droves, as a smile plastered on his face.

Burnie rushed over to the boy and yanked him up effortlessly. The man pulled Gavin into his chest with the force of a grizzly bear. Snorting as he sucked back up the snot and tears, Burnie boomed out in laughter and sorrow.

"You… You’ve got to be kidding me… There’s just… There’s no way… My… MY SON has been home all this time…" Burnie choked out, sobbing into Gavin’ suit.

Gavin snorted, laughing and wiping away the tears. “You… You bloody asshole, you’ve been making your son scrub toilets the last five months!” he shouted.

The two laughed loudly at that.

A hug that lasted over an hour finally released.

Burnie just shook his head. “Gavin… Gavin, you heard the story way back when. I… I was stupid… I told your mother I didn’t want you, but I swear to God that I’ve… I’ve always wanted you! You’re my son, and I… I… I want to make everything right. If… If you’ll have me in your life, I… I want you to… To be my family..” he choked out, still unable to form a complete sentence.

Smirking, Gavin coughed out a short burst of laughter. “I… I already thought we were family,” he replied.

Burnie smiled. “Yeah… Yeah, I guess you are…” he replied warmly.


	11. A Second Chance at Hope

It was cold Austin winter fifteen years later that found Gavin Free walking along the streets outside the central mall plaza. The lad was now a full grown man, with a remarkable face of well-tended hair and ages of hard lessons learned the hard way. He wore a leather jacket, alongside a matching black beret. He was sipping a cup of steaming coffee.

To his side were two children no older than eleven, and on the borderline of turning twelve. The taller of the two, a little girl with curly red hair and striking mean features, dressed from head to toe in Rooster Teeth’s video gaming apparel. Right beside her was a smaller male, scrawny and weighing about the same as a loaf of bread. Unlike the girl, he was dressed in a fancy sweater, name-brand jeans, and a fashionable green scarf. His blonde hair was almost exactly as Gavin’s had been when he was younger.

The red headed girl flung back her hair in a dramatic fling. “You’re WRONG Cael, the best character in Super Smash Brothers Galactic Conquest is Paula from Earthbound! Her finishing move BURNS YOU ALIVE!” she exclaimed confidently.

Cael sighed, acting as though he were eighty years old, shaking his head. “Tiff, you’re just so off base. If you want the “best” character, you have to factor in the tiers! By that alone, Shy Guy is the best character since it has a 100% dodge that counterattacks. Your… PEASANT Paula would be destroyed,” he explained.

Tiff threw up her fist. “You want some of this motherfucker?! FINAL DESTINATION, NO ITEMS, THREE STOCK. I’LL SHOW YOU WHO’S A PEASANT YOU SISSY BOY! YOU’LL RESPECT THE CLASSICS FREE, OR I’LL KICK YOUR ASS!” she exclaimed.

"You’re on Jones! My house, ten minutes when we get back!" Cael said.

Tiff and Cael shook on that.

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Next time that Meg, Michael and Lindsay go on a cruise and leave me with the kids, I’m going to lace their last meal before with laxatives,” he thought to himself bitterly. He took another sip of his coffee. “Tiff, watch your mouth in public,” Gavin warned.

Tiff huffed, rolling her eyes. “Daddy Michael lets me cuss!” she whined loudly.

"Do I look like that mingy tosspot?" Gavin shot back.

"I don’t even know what that means," Tiff replied, narrowing her eyes.

"Dad makes up stuff sometimes…" Cael whispered.

Gavin grabbed Cael by the back of the head. “Dad does NOT make stuff up, you’re just not smart enough to know what I’m talking about!” he retorted.

Tiff tilted her head towards Cael. “Has your Daddy been drinking?” she asked.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, LET’S GET THIS SHIT HOME! We’ve got to wrap Grandpa Burnie’s present and hid it REAL good, okay?!" Gavin exclaimed, signaling to the Christmas-themed shopping bags around his arms.

The kids started bickering again as they turned another corner towards the city bus stop.

Gavin tossed his coffee in a nearby trashcan, missing by an inch. As he did so, an audible groan could be heard.

All three of them stopped immediately.

Glancing around the can, Gavin spotted someone’s bare foot sticking up by a trash bag. Upon closer inspection, a girl was attached to it. A pair of ratty jeans, napkin-thin white t-shirt, and messy brown hair covered the body of the girl, who was about the same age as Cael and Tiff. Her face was broken, and as Gavin’s remaining coffee dripped down her face, she seemed to barely recognize the feeling.

"Oh goodness, I’m so sorry!" Gavin exclaimed. He knelt down to the girl’s side, removing the coffee cup and wiping away the dribbling liquid.

Her face was filthy.

Her body was shivering.

Her eyes were glazed over.

"Dad… Is she okay?" Cael asked, moving closer to her. The child touched her skin and recoiled at the cold of it. "Oh you’re cold! Here, take this!" Cael said, handing the girl his cup of hot chocolate.

Her hand didn’t register Cael’s touch.

Tiff’s eyes went wide. “Uncle Gavy… Is she okay!?” she asked nervously.

Without a moment of hesitation, Gavin picked the girl up in his arms, holding her tightly. “Let’s go, we need to get her home right now!” he ordered.

Not bothering to ask for an explanation, both children followed as Gavin and the two of them ran all the way home.

Snow began silently drifting overhead.

+

Gavin and Meg’s home was a quaint affair. A tiny brick home with leather furniture, large television sets, and enough electronic equipment to outfit a small computer store. Video games, chips, and party snacks were scattered about in the living room, a testament to Tiff and Cael’s messy sleepover they’d had going on for the past week and a half.

Occupying the large couch was the mysterious brunette child, who had been wrapped in every blanket the house owned. She snuggled in them, drinking the hot chocolate that had been made fresh in the home.

While Cael and Tiff played video games on the TV, Gavin turned to the child beside him.

"What’s your name?" Gavin asked.

The girl cowered inside of her blanket. “N… N.. Natalia. Natalia Simmons…” she whispered.

Gavin smiled. “Natalia… What were you doing out there in the street like that? You could have frozen half to death,” he asked, in a calm, yet commanding tone.

Natalia’s face fell. She shifted under the blankets, hiding her face in the mass of cloth. “I… I know, I just… I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she muttered.

Gavin’s face crossed itself. His hand clenched at his knee.

"My… My dad… He…. He hit me real bad, and I told my mommy. Mommy said I was lying, so I can’t go back there anymore," Natalia said, quivering at Gavin’s side.

Looking her over, Gavin noticed a rather large bruise on the girl’s neck. He assumed it went further down than that. It would have taken an idiot not to see the signs.

"Y… You’re not gonna take me back are you?!" Natalia asked, glancing upward and nearly crying out the words as they went.

After a moment, Gavin looked away. He recalled the adoption reformation act of 2019. Any runaway child could be legally adopted into another home, and grant guardianship without parental consent. A controversial law at the time, it had been on Gavin’s radar for many years.

"Natalia… Do you… Do you have anyone else you could stay with? A grandparent, an aunt or an uncle? I could take you there if you wanted me to," Gavin offered.

She shook her head. “No,” Natalia said quietly.

There was a silence between them. A deep, everlasting silence.

"So… Uh… Would you like to stay here then?" Gavin asked.

Tiff and Cael turned around, staring at Gavin.

Natalia’s eyes widened. “W… What did you say?” she asked

Smiling, Gavin pulled out his cell phone. “Let me just check with my wife, but I don’t think she’ll oppose this. We have plenty of room and would love to have you stay here. We’ve wanted another child for long time,” he explained. He started texting away to Meg.

"I’m getting a sister?!" Cael exclaimed.

Tiff pouted. “HOW COME CAEL GETS A SISTER?!” he shouted.

Natalia’s jaw dropped. “Wait… You’re serious?” she asked.

Gavin smiled. “Of course. I can’t imagine a small child living in the streets. It’s cold, it’s bleak, and frankly it’s dangerous. I can only imagine the… The troubles you would have. I can’t have that, hell I won’t have it! You’re getting a second chance here with us, and that’s all there is to it!” he said with a bright glance.

Cael, Tiff, and Natalia all focused on Gavin’s face.

"Dad…  Why are you crying?" Cael asked.


End file.
